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
Jesus asks His hearers to imagine a shepherd who notices one missing sheep and searches until he finds it. The search is the first movement of the answer: the lost one matters enough to go after.
Why Jesus tells this story
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 15:1–15:7. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 15:1–15:7
Read Luke 15:4 with 15:1–15:7. Jesus asks His hearers to imagine a shepherd who notices one missing sheep and searches until he finds it. The search is the first movement of the answer: the lost one matters enough to go after.
What Remains True
Jesus asks His hearers to imagine a shepherd who notices one missing sheep and searches until he finds it. The search is the first movement of the answer: the lost one matters enough to go after. Its meaning is controlled by Luke 15:1–15:7.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
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 ↗