The Meaning of Luke 15:10 Explained

Luke 15:10

KJV: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

YLT: 'So I say to you, joy doth come before the messengers of God over one sinner reforming.'

Darby: Thus, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner.

ASV: Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Likewise,  I say  unto you,  there is  joy  in the presence  of the angels  of God  over  one  sinner  that repenteth. 

What does Luke 15:10 Mean?

Study Notes

angel (See Scofield " Hebrews 1:4 ") .
sinner Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Luke 15:1-10 - Seeking And Finding The Lost
They that have left the fold in which they were nurtured in early life, and have gone over bleak mountains and through tangled brakes, find themselves in this exquisite picture. But the Lord is on their track. He cannot abide happily with the rest, while one sheep is liable to be torn by beasts of prey or caught away by eagles. He goes after it till He finds it. Don't you think, mother, that the Lord loves that child of yours, now far away, as much as you do? Cannot you trust Him to seek until He finds? Then He will ask you to rejoice with Him. Jesus not only receiveth sinners, but seeketh them. Those who have always lived an outwardly correct life and who do not think themselves in need of repentance are the ninety and nine.
Some have the King's stamp on them, but have rolled away into the dark corner amid dust and shavings. Oh, that we were all more willing to go down on our knees to sweep the floor to find the lost! The nine links of a necklace are useless if the tenth is missing. Christ cannot be satisfied until the lost coin is found. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 15

1  The parable of the lost sheep;
8  of the piece of silver;
11  of the prodigal son

Greek Commentary for Luke 15:10

There is joy [γινεται χαρα]
More exactly, joy arises. Futuristic present of γινομαι — ginomai (cf. εσται — estai in Luke 15:7). [source]
In the presence of the angels of God [ενωπιον των αγγελων του τεου]
That is to say, the joy of God himself. The angels are in a sense the neighbours of God. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 15:10

Luke 11:49 The wisdom of God [η σοπια του τεου]
In Matthew 23:34 Jesus uses “I send” See Luke 10:22; Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10. Here the future tense occurs, “I will send” (αποστελω — apostelō). [source]
Revelation 7:11 Round about [κυκλωι]
Preposition (in a circle) with genitive as in Revelation 4:6; Revelation 5:11. The angels here rejoice in the salvation of men (Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10; 1 Peter 1:12).Upon their faces (επι τα προσωπα αυτων — epi ta prosōpa autōn). In reverential worship of God as in Revelation 11:16. For this worship (fell and worshipped) see also Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:14; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 19:4, Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8. The dative τωι τεωι — tōi theōi (God) with προσκυνεω — proskuneō (to worship) is the usual construction for that meaning. When it means merely to do homage the accusative case is usual in this book (Charles). But in the Fourth Gospel the reverse order is true as to the cases with προσκυνεω — proskuneō (Abbott, Joh. Vocab. pp. 138-142). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 15:10 mean?

Thus I say to you there is joy before the angels - of God over one sinner repenting
οὕτως λέγω ὑμῖν γίνεται χαρὰ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι

οὕτως  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὕτως  
Sense: in this manner, thus, so.
λέγω  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
γίνεται  there  is 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
χαρὰ  joy 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: χαρά  
Sense: joy, gladness.
ἐνώπιον  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐνώπιον  
Sense: in the presence of, before.
ἀγγέλων  angels 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἄγγελος  
Sense: a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐπὶ  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
ἑνὶ  one 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: εἷς  
Sense: one.
ἁμαρτωλῷ  sinner 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: ἁμαρτωλός  
Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner.
μετανοοῦντι  repenting 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: μετανοέω  
Sense: to change one’s mind, i.