Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Luke 15:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4What 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?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 15:4 contributes the following verse-specific detail to “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” at 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”.
Read It With
- Luke 15:1–15:7
Read Luke 15:4 with 15:1–15:7. In isolation, this contribution—contributes the following verse-specific detail to “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” at 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”—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Tax collectors and sinners draw near, critics object to Jesus' welcome, and a shepherd leaves ninety-nine in a wilderness to seek one sheep and celebrate its recovery, picturing joy over repentance.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Luke 15:4 contributes the following verse-specific detail to “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” at 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”. This precise contribution belongs inside “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” because Tax collectors and sinners draw near, critics object to Jesus' welcome, and a shepherd leaves ninety-nine in a wilderness to seek one sheep and celebrate its recovery, picturing joy over repentance.
What Remains True
Luke 15:4 contributes the following verse-specific detail to “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” at 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”. Read inside Luke 15:1–15:7, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Tax collectors and sinners draw near, critics object to Jesus' welcome, and a shepherd leaves ninety-nine in a wilderness to seek one sheep and celebrate its recovery, picturing joy over repentance. Its use remains accountable to affected people and the unit's explicit boundary.
How It Can Shape Life
- Luke 15:4 contributes the following verse-specific detail to “A Shepherd Seeks One Lost Sheep” at 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”. Its faithful response is proportionate to that role: Seek a person who is estranged with patient, proportionate care and celebrate safe restoration; do not compare people to animals to justify surveillance or forced return.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Luke 15:1–15:7 — A Shepherd Seeks One Lost SheepSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: Luke 15:1–15:7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations; the edition is not treated as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Luke.txt, 15:1–15:7
Open the Luke Greek text file ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, KJV-language clarification, historical notes, Synoptic parallels, and textual alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Luke PDF, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to Luke 15:1–15:7
Open source ↗