Lukas 5:19

5:19 But ¹  since they found ²  no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof ³  and let him down on the stretcher ⁴  through the roof tiles ⁵  right ⁶  in front of Jesus. ⁷ 

Lukas 15:4

15:4 “Which one ⁸  of you, if he has a hundred ⁹  sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture ¹⁰  and go look for ¹¹  the one that is lost until he finds it? ¹² 

[5:19]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast implied in the context: They wanted to bring the man to Jesus, but found no way.

[5:19]  ² tn Grk “But finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[5:19]  ³ sn A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.

[5:19]  ⁴ tn This word, κλινίδιον (klinidion), is a different Greek word than the one used in the previous verse (κλίνη, klinh). In this context both may be translated “stretcher” (see L&N 6.106 and 6.107).

[5:19]  ⁵ tn There is a translational problem at this point in the text. The term Luke uses is κέραμος (keramo"). It can in certain contexts mean “clay,” but usually this is in reference to pottery (see BDAG 540 s.v. 1). The most natural definition in this instance is “roof tile” (used in the translation above). However, tiles were generally not found in Galilee. Recent archaeological research has suggested that this house, which would have probably been typical for the area, could not have supported “a second story, nor could the original roof have been masonry; no doubt it was made from beams and branches of trees covered with a mixture of earth and straw” (J. F. Strange and H. Shanks, “Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?” BAR 8, no. 6 [Nov/Dec 1982]: 34). Luke may simply have spoken of building materials that would be familiar to his readers.

[5:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “in the midst.”

[5:19]  ⁷ sn The phrase right in front of Jesus trailing as it does at the end of the verse is slightly emphatic, adding a little note of drama: What would Jesus do?

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[15:4]  ⁹ sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[15:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

[15:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

[15:4]  ¹² sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.