Lukas 15:8-10

15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins ¹  and loses ²  one of them, ³  does not light a lamp, sweep ⁴  the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it? 15:9 Then ⁵  when she has found it, she calls together her ⁶  friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice ⁷  with me, for I have found the coin ⁸  that I had lost.’ 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ⁹  over one sinner who repents.”

[15:8]  ¹ sn This silver coin is a drachma, equal to a denarius, that is, a day’s pay for the average laborer.

[15:8]  ² tn Grk “What woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses.” The initial participle ἔχουσα (ecousa) has been translated as a finite verb parallel to ἀπολέσῃ (apolesh) in the conditional clause to improve the English style.

[15:8]  ³ tn Grk “one coin.”

[15:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “and sweep,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[15:9]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[15:9]  ⁷ sn Rejoice. Besides the theme of pursuing the lost, the other theme of the parable is the joy of finding them.

[15:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “drachma.”

[15:10]  ⁹ sn The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.