Luke 15:8 Meaning and Explanation
“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The second story: a woman with ten silver coins loses one, lights a candle, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it.
What Does Luke 15:8 Mean?
Jesus tells the truth a second time with a new face. A woman has ten silver coins and loses one inside her own small, dark house. So she lights a lamp, takes a broom, and goes over every corner of the floor — "diligently, till she find it."
The coin, unlike the sheep, cannot wander; it is simply lost where it lies, and it will never be found unless someone searches. The picture honors the patient, painstaking side of God's seeking — light carried into dark places, dust disturbed, nothing written off as gone for good. Some of the lost are far away in open country; some are lost at home, under the furniture of ordinary life. The search reaches both.
Luke 15:8 in the Original Language
drachme (δραχμή), 'piece of silver' -- a Greek silver coin worth about a day's wage.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 15:8
What does Luke 15:8 mean?
The second story: a woman with ten silver coins loses one, lights a candle, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it.