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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:13 And if it is that he finds it,

Parable of the Lost Sheep, in the context of children

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 18:13 καὶ ἐὰν γένηται εὑρεῖν αὐτό, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι χαίρει ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα τοῖς μὴ πεπλανημένοις.

KJV Verse

Matthew 18:13 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.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

What His Listeners Heard:

And when he happens to discover it, Amen,I tell you, that he celebrates more on it than on that ninety-nine, the ones not having wanted to wander.

Lost In Translation:

In Greek, the word "sheep" is not used in this passage: it is added in Biblical translation. Jesus seems to have avoided it intentionally. The Greek has just the pronouns and number. This makes the verse seem less about sheep and more about anything or anyone lost and discovered. The article ("the") used to identify "the ninety-nine" can be either masculine, referring to people, or neuter, referring to sheep.

As we saw in the previous verse, Matthew 18:12, the meaning of a verb changed from "becomes" to "belongs to" because of the following word. Here, the same verb has a third-meaning, "happens," which is its meaning when applied to events. Here the event, "to find" follows the verb so again in changes meaning. This phrase, "happens to find it" is casually humorous but it is not translated that way.

The negative used to describe those that head not wander is not the negative of facts, but the negative of opinion and desire, the sense that the ninety-nine hadn't wanted to wander. This explains why the shepherd could leave them alone upon the mountains. This changes the wandering into a decision not just an action.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And if(CW) so be(WW) that(IW) he find(WF) it, verily I say unto you, (MW)  he rejoiceth more of(CW) that(CW) sheep(IW), than of(CW) the ninety and nine which(CW) went(WT) not(CW) astray(WF).

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.