lays it on his shoulders

the Greek in Luke 15:5 that is translated as “lays it on his shoulders” in English is translated in Yakan as “take it in his arms” (source: Yakan Back Translation), in Western Bukidnon Manobo as “carries him in his arms” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa as “carries it round his neck” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

complete verse (Luke 15:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:5:

  • Mairasi: “Then when he himself will again see [find] this domba [sheep] definitely his liver will turn good [he will rejoice] all along as he carries that domba on his shoulders,” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: “When he finds this sheep he is very happy, he puts the sheep on his shoulders and goes back home.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When he finds it, no kidding his joy. From his joy, he carries-on-back-of-neck that sheep, and he takes him back to his house.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And when you (pl.) have found it, you (pl.) are very happy, therefore you (pl.) take it in your (pl.) arms and bring it home.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When he finds him, he is very happy and he carries him in his arms and goes home.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And when he then finds it, great is his happiness and he will carry-it-on-his-shoulder” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, after he has found it, he carries-it -round-his-neck happily going home.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 15:1-7)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 15:1-7:

A mixed crowd — some politically incorrect
and others simply street scum —
       were hanging around, listening to Jesus teach.
A group of religious snobs came up and started griping,
“This guy goes around with the wrong crowd,
       and he even eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this story:

       What would you do, if you had a hundred sheep,
              and one of them wandered off?
       Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine out in the field
              and look for the lost sheep, until you found it?
       Sure you would, and you’d be so glad when it was found
              that you’d throw it on your shoulder and carry it home.
       Then you’d say to your friends, “Let’s celebrate!
              I’ve found my lost sheep.”

“That’s how it is with God,” declared Jesus.
“God gets more excited over one person
who has a change of heart
       than over ninety-nine self-righteous bigots.”

Translation commentary on Luke 15:5 – 15:6

Exegesis:

kai heurōn epitithēsin epi tous ōmous autou chairōn ‘and when he has found (it) he puts it on his shoulders rejoicing.’ The question of v. 4 changes into a story, describing what happens when the lost sheep is found and leading up to the application in v. 7. chairōn serves to colour the whole clause (cf. 19.6; Acts 8.39), and explains the rather unusual act of carrying the lost sheep (cf. Lagrange).

(V. 6) kai elthōn eis ton oikon ‘and when he has come home,’ without paying further attention to the sheep left behind in the pasture land.

sugkalei tous philous kai tous geitonas ‘he calls together his friends and neighbours,’ i.e. for a celebration. For sugkaleō cf. on 9.1.

sugcharēte moi ‘rejoice with me,’ cf. on 1.58.

to probaton mou to apolōlos ‘my sheep which was lost.’ to apolōlos is emphatic.

Translation:

To lay on the shoulders, or, ‘to carry on the shoulder(s) (or, on the back of the neck, or, on the back),’ is expressed by one verb in some languages.

Rejoicing, or, ‘because he-rejoices’ (Sundanese); or with a further shift, “he is so happy that he puts it on his shoulders” (Good News Translation); “how delighted he is then! He lifts it on to his shoulders…” (New English Bible).

(V. 6) He calls together, i.e. ‘in his house’; hence ‘he invites’ (Bahasa Indonesia) is possible also.

For neighbours and for rejoice with me, sometimes a reciprocal expression, e.g. ‘let us rejoice with each other,’ cf. also 1.58.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 15:5

15:5

when he finds it: This clause is very similar to the phrase “until he finds it” in 15:4c. In some languages it may not be natural to repeat the idea of finding the sheep so soon after its mention in the previous verse part. In those languages you may need to leave it implied or use a conjunction like “Then.”

puts it on his shoulders: The shepherd would have carried the sheep by putting it across both his shoulders. Its stomach would be against the back of his neck, with the feet held or tied in front. If your language has a specific verb for carrying an animal in this way, you may use it here. If people in your language area do not carry an animal in this way or your language uses a different word in this context, you may:

• Use a more general expression. For example:

picks it up and carries it

• Use a natural expression in your language for carrying a sheep. For example:

carries it in his arms

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