Luke 15:8–10
The woman seeks her coin: joy in heaven over one who returns
Study it word by word8Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost.’
10In the same way, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who changes his mind.”
In its context
6And when he comes into the house, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his mind than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of a change of mind.
…
11And he said, “A certain man had two sons.
12And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his property between them.
Its words in the original
- γυνὴgynē· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive, wife.
- δραχμὰςdrachmas· drachma
Drachma: a Greek silver coin, worth about a day's wage.
- ἔχουσαechousa· have
Have, possess, hold.
- δέκαdeka· ten
Ten.
- ἀπολέσῃapolesēi· destroy, perish
Destroy, cause to perish; in the middle voice, perish, be lost.
- μίανmian· one
One.
- οὐχὶouchi· not
Not (in questions that expect "yes").
- ἅπτειhaptei· touch, hold
Touch, take hold of, cling to; in the active, light (a fire).
- λύχνονlychnon· lamp
Oil lamp.
- σαροῖsaroi· sweep
Sweep, sweep clean.
- οἰκίανoikian· house
House, home.
- ζητεῖzētei· seek
Look for, seek; try to.
- ἐπιμελῶςepimelōs· carefully
Carefully, diligently.
- εὕρῃheurēi· find
Find; in the passive, turn out to be, be found to be so.
- συγκαλεῖsynkalei· call together
Call together, assemble.
- φίλαςphilas· friend
Friend.
- γείτοναςgeitonas· neighbor
Neighbor.
- λέγουσαlegousa· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ΣυγχάρητέSyncharēte· rejoice with
Rejoice with someone, share their joy.
- γίνεταιginetai· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- χαρὰchara· joy
Joy, gladness.
- ἐνώπιονenōpion· before, in front of
In front of, in the presence of.
- ἀγγέλωνangelōn· messenger, angel
Messenger. When sent from heaven, an angel.
- θεοῦtheou· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".
- ἁμαρτωλῷhamartōlōi· sinner
Sinner; in the Pharisees' mouth, someone who did not keep the law.
- μετανοοῦντιmetanoounti· change one's mind
Change one's mind: turn around one's way of thinking, and with it one's way of living, to return to God. It is usually translated "repent".