Luke 15:8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,

Spoken to
audience

After Jesus finishes the parable of the lost sheep.

KJV

Luke 15:8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

NIV

Luke 15:8 Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

LISTENERS HEARD

Or any woman having ten silver coins, when she loses one coin, doesn't she indeed light a lamp and clean the house and search carefully until she should find it?

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The word translated as "what" and "suppose" before "woman" means "any." This is about the average woman. The negative in "doth not" and "doesn't" is exaggerated, "not indeed." The "find" is just a possibility, "should find." It is not certain that she will find it.

MY TAKE

Finding money is more fun than losing it.

GREEK ORDER

τίς   γυνὴ     δραχμὰς       ἔχουσα δέκα, ἐὰν    ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν
Or any woman silver coins, having  ten     when she loses coin       ten 
 

οὐχὶ                  ἅπτει         λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς 
doesn't indeed she light a lamp     and clean the  house and search carefully 

ἕως  οὗ εὕρῃ;
until it she should find?

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
3

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if(CW) she lose one piece, doth not(CW) light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find(WF) it?

  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
     
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" does not capture the specific meaning of the word, which is more extreme.
     
  • WF -- Wrong Form  -- This verb is in the form of possibility, a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" before the verb.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
7

Or suppose(WW) a woman has(WF) ten silver coins and(WW) loses (MWcoin) one. Doesn’t(CW) she light a lamp, (MWand) sweep the house and search carefully until she finds(WF) it?

  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "suppose " should be something more like "what."
     
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "having."
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "and" should be something more like "when."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "coin"  after "one" is not shown in the English translation. 
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" does not capture the specific meaning of the word, which is more extreme.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "and "  after "lamp" is not shown in the English translation. 
  • WF -- Wrong Form  -- This verb is in the form of possibility, a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" before the verb.
EACH WORD of KJV

Either -- "Either" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. The same word could also be the exclamation "hi" or the adverb meaning "in truth."
 

what -- The Greek word translated as "what" in the singular means "anyone," "someone,"  "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine and feminine, so "anyone" works best for a person. In the plural, it means "everyone," "some," "they," and "those." Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who," "what," "which," or even "why."
 

woman -- The word translated as "woman" is  the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female."
 

having-- The word translated as "having" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "to indulge in," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. It is in the form of a participle, "having."
 

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten."
 

pieces of silver, "Pieces of silver" is from the Greek coin and unit of weight meaning "as much as one can hold in the hand". The silver coin has about the same value as a Roman denarius, which was about one day's wages.
 

if - (CW) "If" is from a word meaning "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone.  It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if."  
 

she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
 

lose -- The word translated as "loses" means to "destroy" or "demolish" and means "perish" in the passive. However, it can also mean to "lose" things. Its literal meaning from its root is "destroy from" or "ruin from." It is often used in the middle voice to describe people losing or destroying themselves.
 

one   -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.
 

piece, "Piece" is from the Greek coin and unit of weight meaning "as much as one can hold in the hand". The silver coin has about the same value as a Roman denarius, which was about one day's wages.
 

doth -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English.
 

not -- (CW) The word translated as "not" is a different form of the usual Greek negative of fact meaning "no truly," "assuredly not," "not however," "nevertheless," and "notwithstanding." This word can have a reversing effect, making a negative into a positive, with questions. Used in questions where an affirmative answer is expected. Used in answers where a "yes" must be supplied. Perhaps best translated as an "isn't it?" at the end of the sentence.  The fact that ancient Greek has no clear verb form for questions makes interpreting it difficult. 
 

light - The Greek verb translated as  "when he has lighted" means primarily "to join" or "touch"and "set to work," with a lot of the same special uses as "join" in English.  However, it also means "to kindle," and "set on fire." It is unrelated to the word "light." Jesus uses it three times, all in Luke, to mean "to light."
 

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
 

candle, - The word translated as "candle" primarily means "lamp", specifically, a portable one. The main form of portable lights in this era were oil lamps made from clay.
 

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
 

sweep -- The Greek word translated as "swept" means "having been cleaned" or "swept himself clean" and "having exhausted himself."
 

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.  
 

house, --  - The Greek word translated as "house," refers to the building itself, all the people that dwell in it, including slaves and servants, all property owned by that family, and all the descendants of the continued line. Since the masculine form works better as "house," this might work better as home.
 

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
 

seek -- The Greek verb translated as "seek" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring." It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim. It also means to "search," "inquire into," "investigate, "require," "demand," and "examine."
 

diligently -- "Diligently" is from a Greek adverb that means  "careful",  "anxious about", "carefully", "careful", and "attentive".
 

till -- The word translated as "till" means "until" but it also means "till," "while," "as long as," "as far as," "up to the point," "in order that." 
 

she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
 

missing "should" or "might"-- (WF) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. 
 

find -- The term used for "find" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."
 

it -- The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."?

EACH WORD of NIV

Or -- "Or " is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. The same word could also be the exclamation "hi" or the adverb meaning "in truth."
 

suppose -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "suppose " in the singular means "anyone," "someone,"  "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine and feminine, so "anyone" works best for a person. In the plural, it means "everyone," "some," "they," and "those." Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who," "what," "which," or even "why." This word doesn't mean "suppose ."  
 

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

woman -- The word translated as "woman" is  the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female."

has -- (WF)The word translated as "has " means to "have," "possess," "bear," "to indulge in," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. It is in the form of a participle, "having."

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten."

silver coins, "Silver coins" is from the Greek coin and unit of weight meaning "as much as one can hold in the hand". The silver coin has about the same value as a Roman denarius, which was about one day's wages.

and - (WW) "And " is from a word meaning "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone.  It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if." This word doesn't mean "and." 

loses -- The word translated as "loses" means to "destroy" or "demolish" and means "perish" in the passive. However, it can also mean to "lose" things. Its literal meaning from its root is "destroy from" or "ruin from." It is often used in the middle voice to describe people losing or destroying themselves.

one   -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.

missing "coin"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "coin" is the Greek coin and unit of weight meaning "as much as one can hold in the hand". The silver coin has about the same value as a Roman denarius, which was about one day's wages.

Does -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English.

n't -- (CW) The word translated as "not" is a different form of the usual Greek negative of fact meaning "no truly," "assuredly not," "not however," "nevertheless," and "notwithstanding." This word can have a reversing effect, making a negative into a positive, with questions. Used in questions where an affirmative answer is expected. Used in answers where a "yes" must be supplied. Perhaps best translated as an "isn't it?" at the end of the sentence.  The fact that ancient Greek has no clear verb form for questions makes interpreting it difficult.

she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

light - The Greek verb translated as  "when he has lighted" means primarily "to join" or "touch"and "set to work," with a lot of the same special uses as "join" in English.  However, it also means "to kindle," and "set on fire." It is unrelated to the word "light." Jesus uses it three times, all in Luke, to mean "to light."

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

lamp, - The word translated as "lamp" primarily means "lamp", specifically, a portable one. The main form of portable lights in this era were oil lamps made from clay.

missing "and"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

sweep -- The Greek word translated as "swept" means "having been cleaned" or "swept himself clean" and "having exhausted himself."

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

house, --  - The Greek word translated as "house," refers to the building itself, all the people that dwell in it, including slaves and servants, all property owned by that family, and all the descendants of the continued line. Since the masculine form works better as "house," this might work better as home.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

search -- The Greek verb translated as "search " has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring." It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim. It also means to "search," "inquire into," "investigate, "require," "demand," and "examine."

carefully -- "Carefully " is from a Greek adverb that means  "careful",  "anxious about", "carefully", "careful", and "attentive".

until -- The word translated as "until " means "until" but it also means "till," "while," "as long as," "as far as," "up to the point," "in order that." 

she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

missing "should" or "might"-- (WF) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur.

find -- The term used for "find" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."

it -- The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."?

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

[92 verses](conj/adv)  "Either" is e, which is a particle used as a disjunctive, "either," "or," , or as a comparative, "than" or "rather than." It is (explam) also an exclamation, "hi!" and an adverb,(adv)  meaning "in truth" and "of a surety." It is used with comparative forms of adjective or with positive adjective implying a comparison. 
 

τίς [252 verses] (irreg sg masc nom/fem ) "What" is tis, which can mean "someone," "something," "any one," "everyone," "they [indefinite]," "many a one," "whoever," "anyone," "anything," "some sort," "some sort of," "each," "any," "the individual," "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who," "why," or "what." Plural, "who are" is τίνες ἐόντες It has specific meanings with certain prepositions, διὰ τί; for what reason? ἐκ τίνος; from what cause? ἐς τί; "to what point?"  to "what end? τί ὅτι "why it is that,"
 

γυνὴ  [28 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Woman" is gyne, which means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." 
 

δραχμὰς [2 verses](noun pl fem acc) "Pieces of silver" is drachme, which means "as much as one can hold in the hand", "a weight", drachm, and a "silver coin" about the same value as a Roman denarius, worth six obols. -- 
 

ἔχουσα [181 verses](part sg pres act fem nom ) "Having" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to indulge in,"  "to hold fast," "to hold in," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, it can mean "acquire," or "get." The main sense when it has an object is "to have" or "to hold." In reference to habits or states, it means "indulge in." With a gen. object,  "to keep back" or "withhold" a thing. When its object is an infinitive verb, it means "to have the means or power," or "to be able" not "it must" as in English.  This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English.Nor does it have the sense of "must" when used with infinitives. 
 

δέκα [11 verses](numeral ) "Ten" is from deka, which means the number ten. 
 

ὰν [163 verses](conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (possibly), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun hos or hostis meaning "that possibly,"  "whosoever" or "whatsoever."
 

ἀπολέσῃ  [43 verses](verb 3rd sg aor subj act) "She lose" is apollymi, which means "to demolish," "to lay waste," "to lose" things, "to perish," "to die," "to cease to exist," and "to be undone." Its literal meaning from its root is "destroy from" or "ruin from." The passive, "to be lost" is formed by the middle voice.  
 

δραχμὴν  [2 verses](noun sg fem acc ) "Piece" is drachme, which means "as much as one can hold in the hand", "a weight", drachm, and a "silver coin" about the same value as a Roman denarius, worth six obols. --
 

μίαν [85 verses](adj sg fem acc ) "One" is heis, which means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same." This noun/adjective is irregular, having a number of forms depending on gender and case. It is always singular.
 

οὐχὶ [23 verses](adv) "Not" is ouchi, an adverb which means "no," "no truly," "assuredly not," "not however," "nevertheless," "notwithstanding," "yet," "still," "never yet," "for not," "indeed," "for surely not," "no,—certainly not," "for I don't suppose," and "for in no manner." Sometimes it is used to create negative questions where a positive answer is expected. 
 

ἅπτει  [3 verses] "Light" is hapto, which means to " fasten or bind to", "join", metaph. "engage in", "undertake", "begin", "set to work", "lay hands on",  "touch", "affect",  "grasp with the senses", "perceive", "have intercourse with a woman", "come up to", "reach", "overtake", "make use of", "avail oneself of", "kindle", and "set on fire". 
 

λύχνον [9 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Candle" is lychnos, which means "portable light," or "lamp." -
 

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."
 

σαροῖ  [3 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act contr) "Sweep" is saroô, which means "to sweep," "to clean," "sweep clean," and, metaphorically, "to be exhausted."  
 

τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." 
 

οἰκίαν [40 times] (noun sg fem acc) "House" is oikia, which means "house," "building," and "household." 
 

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."
 

ζητεῖ [36 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act ) "Seek" is zeteo, which means "inquire for," "search for," "seek after," "desire," and "feel the want of."
 

ἐπιμελῶς [1 verse](adv) "Diligently" is epimelos, which means  "careful",  "anxious about", "carefully", "careful", and "attentive". 
 

ἕως [63 verses](conj) "Until" is heos which means "until," "till," "while," "as long as," "up to the point," and "in order that" "as far as," and "up to the point that." Takes a genitive object when referring to time "until something." With the particle of possibility and the subjunctive form of the verb, the sense is until some unknown time. 
 

οὗ [294 verses](pron sg neut gen ) "It" is hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," " "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."
 

εὕρῃ;  [43 verses] (verb 3rd sg aor subj act) "Find" is heurisko, which means "to find," "to find out," "to discover," "to devise," "to invent," "to get," and "to gain."

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