Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 15:8-10)

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 15:8-10:

Jesus told the people another story:
       What would a woman do if she lost
              one of the ten gold coins from her wedding bracelet?
       Wouldn’t she light a lamp, sweep the floor,
              and crawl on her hands and knees until she found it?
       Then she’d call in her friends and neighbors and say,
              “Celebrate with me! I’ve found the coin I lost.”
       “God is no less excited,” explained Jesus,
              “when only one person turns to him.”

Translation commentary on Luke 15:10

Exegesis:

houtōs, legō humin ‘in the same way, I tell you.’ Here legō humin is inserted in the main clause but has the same function as in v. 7.

ginetai chara enōpion tōn aggelōn tou theou ‘there is joy among the angels of God.’ ginetai is equivalent to estin. The phrase enōpion tōn aggelōn tou theou is virtually equivalent to en tō ouranō in v. 7.

Translation:

There is joy before the angels of God. A personal subject is usually preferable, ‘the angels of God will have joy.’

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 15:10

15:10a

In the same way: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as In the same way again introduces the important truth that the parable illustrates. When the woman found her lost coin, she invited her friends to rejoice with her. In the same way, God rejoices, and his angels rejoice with him. See the note on 15:7a.

I tell you: Jesus often used the words I tell you in a statement that he wanted to emphasize. He was asking people to listen with extra attention. Some ways to show this emphasis could be:

• As a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:

let me tell you this
-or-
listen
-or-
I assure you

• As an emphatic word within Jesus’ statement. For example:

In the same way there will certainly be rejoicing in the presence of the angels…

If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here. See how you translated this expression in 10:12.

15:10b

there is joy in the presence of God’s angels: In this context the clause there is joy in the presence of God’s angels has a similar meaning to the clause “there will be more joy in heaven” in 15:7b. It indicates indirectly that God rejoices. It also implies that his angels rejoice with him. Some ways to translate it are:

God rejoices in the presence of his angels
-or-
God rejoices and his angels rejoice with him

See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

joy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as joy is the same word as in 15:7b.

over one sinner who repents: This phrase also occurs in 15:7b.

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