What Does Matthew 18:13 Mean in the King James?
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.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The ninety-nine measure safety, but the one’s recovery is where the shepherd’s joy becomes greatest.
THE MEANING
When you are the one who has wandered, being found meets you with a joy that outweighs the safety of those who never left the path. Your return is not a smaller event measured against everyone who stayed; the shepherd’s attention settles on the one restored to the flock.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that wandering makes you less wanted than those who never strayed: the one who returns is received with greater joy.
THE ROOT
πεπλανημένοις
peplanēmenois
GROWS FROM
πλαν-
plan-
To wander or stray; the related verb can also mean to lead astray.
“went astray” in this verse is peplanēmenois. The Greek word pictures the sheep as having gone off course, while its root also carries the sense of leading someone astray. The English shows the sheep’s wandering; the root opens the added possibility of vulnerability to misdirection.
ALSO GROWS
planē: Wandering, error
πλάνη
This noun keeps wandering and error within the same word family, showing how being off course can involve more than distance.
planētēs: Wanderer; wandering star
πλανήτης
The word for a wandering star carries the same root, extending the image of a course that has been left.
χαίρει
chairei
GROWS FROM
χαίρω
chairō
To rejoice or be glad.
“rejoiceth” in this verse is chairei. The same verb-root gives both the word for joy and a compound meaning to rejoice together. The shepherd’s gladness belongs to the recovery itself, and it can become shared joy.
ALSO GROWS
chara: Joy
χαρά
This noun names the joy held in the verb χαίρω, making the shepherd’s response more than a private judgment about the flock.
synchairō: Rejoice together
συγχαίρω
This compound carries the same joy-root into shared rejoicing, a connection echoed when the shepherd invites others to rejoice with him in Luke 15:6.
THE PATTERN
The wanderer remains within the shepherd’s care: the lost are sought, brought back, and met with joy.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.THE THREAD
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.Both verses use the Greek roots εὑρίσκω (heuriskō, find) and χαίρω (chairō, rejoice), linking finding the sheep directly with joy. Luke adds the sheep carried on the shepherd’s shoulders, showing the recovered one held close.
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