Luke 15 · Verse 4

Luke 15:4

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Luke 15:4, King James Version

Luke 15:4 in other translations

BSB“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
WEB“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
ASVWhat man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
YLT‘What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one out of them, doth not leave behind the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go on after the lost one, till he may find it?
DARBYWhat man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
BBEWhat man of you, having a hundred sheep, if one of them gets loose and goes away, will not let the ninety-nine be in the waste land by themselves, and go after the wandering one, till he sees where it is?
WebsterWhat man of you having a hundred sheep, if he loseth one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he findeth it?

What does Luke 15:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 15:3-7

Lu 15:3-7. I. The Lost Sheep. 3-7. Occurring again (Mt 18:12-14); but there to show how precious one of His sheep is to the Good Shepherd; here, to show that the shepherd, though the sheep stray never so widely, will seek it out, and when he hath found, will rejoice over it.

Read the full comment on Luke 15:3-7 →

Barnes' Notes
Verses 4-6. Mt 18:12,13.

(c) "man" Mt 18:12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 What man of you - Our Lord spoke this and the following parable to justify his conduct in receiving and conversing with sinners or heathens. A hundred sheep - Parables similar to this are frequent among the Jewish writers. The whole flock of mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, belongs unto this Divine Shepherd; and it is but reasonable to expect, that the gracious proprietor will look after those who have gone astray, and bring them back to the flock. The lost sheep is an emblem of a heedless, thoughtless sinner: one who follows the corrupt dictates of his own heart, without ever reflecting upon his conduct, or considering what will be the issue of his unholy course of life. No creature strays more easily than a sheep; none is more heedless; and none so incapable of finding its way back to the flock, when once gone astray: it will bleat for the flock, and still run on in an opposite direction to the place where the flock is: this I have often noticed. No creature is more defenceless than a sheep, and more exposed to be devoured by dogs and wild beasts. Even the fowls of the air seek their destruction. I have known ravens often attempt to destroy lambs by picking out their eyes, in which, when they have succeeded, as the creature does not see whither it is going, it soon falls an easy prey to its destroyer. Satan is ever going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; in order to succeed, he blinds the understanding of sinners, and then finds it an easy matter to tumble them into the pit of perdition. Who but a Pharisee or a devil would find fault with the shepherd who endeavors to rescue his sheep from so much danger and ruin!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 15:1-10

The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, and exposed to certain ruin if not brought back to him, yet not desirous to return. Christ is earnest in bringing sinners home. In the parable of the lost piece of silver, that which is lost, is one piece, of small value compared with the rest. Yet the woman seeks…

Read the full comment on Luke 15:1-10 →

Luke 15:4 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

τίςtisWhatG5101
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposmanG444
ἐξexofG1537
ὑμῶνhumōnyouG4771
ἔχωνechōnhavingG2192
ἑκατὸνhekatona hundredG1540
πρόβαταprobatasheepG4263
καὶkaiandG2532
ἀπολέσαςapolesashaving lostG622
ἐξexofG1537
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
ἓνhenoneG1520
οὐounotG3756
καταλείπειkataleipeileavesG2641
τὰtatheG3588
ἐνενήκονταenenēkontaninetyG1768
ἐννέαenneanineG1767
ἐνeninG1722
τῇtēatheG3588
ἐρήμῳerēmōopen fieldG2048
καὶkaiandG2532
πορεύεταιporeuetaigoesG4198
ἐπὶepiafterG1909
τὸtothe [one]G3588
ἀπολωλὸςapolōloshaving been lostG622
ἕωςhe'ōsuntilG2193
εὕρῃheurēhe may findG2147
αὐτό;autoit?G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Luke 15:4

  • Ezekiel 34:16

    I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

  • Ezekiel 34:11-12

    For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

  • Matthew 18:12-14

    How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

  • Luke 19:10

    For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

  • 1 Peter 2:25

    For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

  • Psalms 119:176

    I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

  • Ezekiel 34:31

    And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

  • Jeremiah 50:6

    My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

  • Isaiah 53:6

    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

  • John 10:15-16

    As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

  • Matthew 12:11

    And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

  • John 10:26-28

    But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
man.
13:15; Mt 12:11; 18:12; Ro 2:1
having.
Ps 119:176; Isa 53:6; Jer 50:6; Eze 34:8,11,12,16,31; Mt 18:12,13
Joh 10:15,16,26-28; 1Pe 2:25

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Luke 15:3

    And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

  • Luke 15:4

    What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

  • Luke 15:5

    And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Read all of Luke 15

Luke 15:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿Qué hombre de vosotros, teniendo cien ovejas, si perdiere una de ellas, no deja las noventa y nueve en el desierto, y va á la que se perdió, hasta que la halle?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Quel est l’homme d’entre vous, qui, ayant 100 brebis et en ayant perdu une, ne laisse les 99 au désert, et ne s’en aille après celle qui est perdue, jusqu’à ce qu’il l’ait trouvée?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Welcher Mensch unter euch, der hundert Schafe hat und eines von ihnen verloren hat, läßt nicht die neunundneunzig in der Wüste und geht dem verlorenen nach, bis er es findet?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quis ex vobis homo, qui habet centum oves, et si perdiderit unam ex illis, nonne dimittit nonaginta novem in deserto, et vadit ad illam quæ perierat, donec inveniat eam?