Matthew 18:12

Matthew 18:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
• New International Version (NIV)“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
• English Standard Version (ESV)What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
• New King James Version (NKJV)“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

Context of Matthew 18:12

10“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

Matthew 18:12 word by word

Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ; ἐὰν γένηταί τινι ἀνθρώπῳ ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ πλανηθῇ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν, οὐχὶ ἀφήσει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, καὶ πορευθεὶς ζητεῖ τὸ πλανώμενον;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Howτίςtis · which?G5101
• thinkδοκέωdokeō · to thinkG1380
• yeσύsu · youG4771
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• aτιςtis · oneG5100
• manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• haveγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• an hundredἑκατόνhekaton · hundredG1540
• sheepπρόβατονprobaton · sheepG4263
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• be gone astrayπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• doth heἀφίημιaphiēmi · to release: leaveG863
• notοὐχίouchi · not!G3780
• leaveἀφίημιaphiēmi · to release: leaveG863
• the ninety and nineἐνενήκονταennenēkontaennea · ninetyG1768
• and goethπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
• intoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the mountainsὄροςoros · mountainG3735
• and seekethζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212

Cross-references for Matthew 18:12

• Matthew 21:28“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
• Matthew 22:42“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:15You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.
• Matthew 12:11And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would.
• Psalms 119:176I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.
• Isaiah 53:6All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
• Jeremiah 50:6“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
• Ezekiel 34:16I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!
• Luke 15:4“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?
• John 10:11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
• 1 Peter 2:25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
• 1 Kings 21:17But the Lord said to Elijah,
• Ezekiel 34:6They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.

Commentaries on Matthew 18:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains - So our common translation reads the verse; others, Doth he not leave the ninety and nine Upon The Mountains, and go, etc. This latter reading appears to me to be the best; because, in Luke 15:4, it is said, he leaveth the ninety and nine In The Desert. The allusion, therefore, is to a shepherd feeding his sheep on the mountains, in the desert; not seeking the lost one On the mountains…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-14Verses 12-14 To show still further the reason why we should not despise Christians, he introduced a parable showing the joy felt when a thing lost is found. A shepherd rejoices over the recovery of one of his flock that had wandered more than over all that remained; so God rejoices that man is restored: so he seeks his salvation, and wills that not one thus found should perish. If God thus loves and preserves the redeemed, then surely man should not…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-14Verses 7-14 Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We must, as far as lawfully we may, part with what we cannot keep without…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Just as a shepherd works to find a lost sheep, we must not despise or ignore the “little ones” (Matthew 18:6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1312-13. How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, &c.--This is another of those pregnant sayings which our Lord uttered more than once. See on the delightful parable of the lost sheep in Lu 15:4-7. Only the object there is to show what the good Shepherd will do, when even one of His sheep is lost, to find it; here the object is to show, when found, how reluctant He is to lose it. Accordingly, it is added,Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 18:12

• God Continued...
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Lost Sheep
• Penitent
• Sheep
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Cattle
• Gain
• Owe
• Patience
• Agriculture
• Astray
• Go
• How
• Jesus Christ
• Matthew, the Gospel of

Commentaries on Matthew 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings