In the context of forgiving others, a parable of the unforgiven
Matthew 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Matthew 18:28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
Leaving, however, this slave there found one of those fellow slaves of his who owed him a hundred silver coins. And, overpowering him, he choked him, saying, "Pay it back if you owe it!"
People want to be treated one way but treat others in the opposite way.
The KJV generally approximates the idea here, but it isn't that close to the Greek. It also minimizes the debt here to "improve" the lesson by making it more extreme. The debt owed is significant. Because the size of the debt is minimized (a problem corrected in many more modern translations), we miss an important point of the story: that the original servant could have collected this debt earlier, but if he had done so, he would have had to pay it to his master. Once he is free and can keep the money, collecting it becomes a much higher priority.
Again, this verse teaches us something about the differences between the modern view of slavery and slavery in Christ's time. These men were enslaved because of their debts, but these debts were not minor amounts, especially at the time. A "slave" of a king could be much better off in terms of lifestyle and future expectations than a freeman, especially one without property. Slaves, even slaves because of their debts, could have a great deal of money or assets, as this part of the story expresses.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "the same" is not the common word usually translated as "the same."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "went" is not an active verb but a participle, "going."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "fellow servants" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "laid hands on" is not the common word related to "laid" or "hands."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "laid" is not an active verb but a participle, "overpowering."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "took...by the throat" is not the common word related to "took" or "throat."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "me" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "that" is not the common pronoun related to "that."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "when" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "went" is not an active verb but a participle, "going."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "fellow servants" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "grabbed " is not an active verb but a participle, "overpowering."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "and" doesn't appear here but before the verb "grabbed."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "began" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to choke" is not an infinitive verb but an active verb, "choked."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "if" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "me" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "demanded" is the common word usually translated as "saying."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "demanded" is not an active verb but a participle, "saying."
But - The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
same - (CW) The word translated as "same" is not the Greek word for "the same," which is the word that acts as a pronoun and appears as "his" and "him" in this verse. This word is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there." It comes after the word and is usually translated as "that."
servant - The word translated as "servant" is the word for slave, but it also means a person held in slavery for a debt.
went - (WF) The word translated as "went out" means literally "to go or come out," but it is not an active verb here, but a verb in the form of an adjective, "having gone out." This word actually starts the verse.
out, -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb that means "out."
and - (IW) There is no "and" here. It is added because of the active form of the verb "went out" the KJV uses.
found - The term used for "found" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."
one -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
fellowservants, - The word translated as "fellow servants" means literally "slaves together."
which - -- The word translated as "which" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("the one that), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause.
owed - "Owed" is from a Greek verb that means "to owe," "to have to pay," and "to account for."
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
an - - There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
hundred - - This is the number "a hundred."
pence: - The "pence" is a great deal more money than a penny. It was a denarius (silver coins). Each coin was worth a day's wages for a farm worker or a soldier, that is, around $70-$80 in today's money, so a hundred would be worth seven to eight thousand dollars. This is a substantial debt but clearly much less than "myriads" that the first servant owed in Matthew 18:24.
and - -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
laid hands on - (CW, WF) "Laid hands on" is from a word that means "rule," "hold sway," "conquer," "prevail," "lay hold of," "secure," "control," and "command." In English, "overpower" is a good equivalent. It is not an active verb, but an adjective, "ruling" or "conquering." The word has nothing to do with "hands."
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
and - (IW) There is no "and" here. It is added because of the active form of the verb "went out" the KJV uses.
took - (CW) "Took...by the throat" is from the verb that means "to choke," and "to strangle." It also mean to "torture" in the sense of strangling, not to kill, but to punish until someone does your will. It is not from the word translated as "took."
him -- This English objective pronoun is added and not in the Greek source. In Greek, pronoun objects are not repeated after each verb because they are implied by their first occurrence.
by the throat, -- This completes the idea of the verb, though the verb itself doesn't include "throat."
saying, -- The word translated as "saying" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak."
Pay - The word translated as "pay" means "to give back." In a financial sense, it means to "pay back." This is the word translated as "paid" in Matthew 18:25.
me -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "me" in the Greek source.
that - (CW) The word Greek word for "if" appears here in the source, and it can be translated as "that" conjunction in an emotional expression, but this "that" acts more like a pronoun than a conjunction.
thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
owest. "Owest" is from a Greek verb that means "to owe," "to have to pay," and "to account for." This is an active verb.
But - The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
when - (IW) There is no "when" here.
that - This word is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there." It comes after the word and is usually translated as "that."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
servant - The word translated as "servant" is the word for slave, but it also means a person held in slavery for a debt.
went - (WF) The word translated as "went out" means literally "to go or come out," but it is not an active verb here, but a verb in the form of an adjective, "having gone out." This word actually starts the verse.
out, -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb that means "out."
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
found - The term used for "found" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."
one -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
fellowservants, - The word translated as "fellow servants" means literally "slaves together."
who - -- The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("the one that), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause.
owed - "Owed" is from a Greek verb that means "to owe," "to have to pay," and "to account for."
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
an - - There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
hundred - - This is the number "a hundred."
silver coins - The "silver coins" is a great deal more money than a penny. It was a denarius (silver coins). Each coin was worth a day's wages for a farm worker or a soldier, that is, around $70-$80 in today's money, so a hundred would be worth seven to eight thousand dollars. This is a substantial debt but clearly much less than "myriads" that the first servant owed in Matthew 18:24.
He -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
grabbed - (WF) "Grabbed " is from a word that means "rule," "hold sway," "conquer," "prevail," "lay hold of," "secure," "control," and "command." In English, "overpower" is a good equivalent. It is not an active verb, but an adjective, "ruling" or "conquering."
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
and - (WP) There is no "and" here. It occurs before the "grabbed" not after.
began - (IW) There is no "began" here.
to -- (WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English, but this verb is not an infinitive, but an active verb.
choke - "Choke" is from the verb that means "to choke," and "to strangle." It also mean to "torture" in the sense of strangling, not to kill, but to punish until someone does your will.
him -- This English objective pronoun is added and not in the Greek source. In Greek, pronoun objects are not repeated after each verb because they are implied by their first occurrence.
Pay - The word translated as "pay" means "to give back." In a financial sense, it means to "pay back." This is the word translated as "paid" in Matthew 18:25.
back -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb that means "from."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word "if" here expresses a condition but it means nothing regarding whether that condition is met or not. It also means "if ever" and "whenever."
what -- There is no Greek pronoun here, but Greek does not need pronouns when the object can be assumed from the context. In English, they are added for the subject-verb-object form of our sentences.
you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
owe "Owe" is from a Greek verb that means "to owe," "to have to pay," and "to account for." This is an active verb.
me -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "me" in the Greek source.
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
demanded - -(CW, WF) The word translated as "demanded" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak." It is not an active verb, but a participle, "saying."
ἐξελθὼν [54 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "Went out" is exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of " "to march forth," "go out on," "to stand forth," "to exceed all bounds," "to come to an end," "to go out of office," and [of dreams or prophecies] "to come true."
δὲ (conj) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
δοῦλος [92 verses](noun sg masc nom) "The servant" is from doulos, which means a "slave," a "born bondsman," or "one made a slave."
ἐκεῖνος [107 verses](adj sg masc nom) "The same" is ekeinos, which means "the person there," "that person," "that thing," "in that case," "in that way," "at that place," and "in that manner."
εὗρεν [43 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind) "Found" is heurisko, which means "to find," "to find out," "to discover," "to devise," "to invent," "to get," and "to gain."
ἕνα [85 verses](noun sg masc acc_ "One" is from heis, which means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same." As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.
τῶν (article pl masc/fem gen) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
συνδούλων [5 verses](noun pl masc/fem gen) "Fellow servants" is syndoulos, which means "slave of the same master," "companion in slavery," and "fellow slave."
αὐτοῦ (adj sg masc gen) "His" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
ὃς (pron sg masc nom) "Which" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
ὤφειλεν [5 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Owed" is opheilo, which means "to owe," "to have to pay," "to be bound to render," "to be bound," "to be obliged," and "to account for."
αὐτῷ (adj sg masc dat) "Him" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
ἑκατὸν [10 verses](numeral)"An hundred" is hekaton, which is the number "a hundred."
δηνάρια, [8 verses]( noun pl neut acc) "Pence" is denarion, which was the principle silver coin of the Roman Empire in NT times. It was not a small coin, but one work "ten asses" (denarius is from the Latin word for ten), when it was first minted that its value went up over the years.
καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
κρατήσας [7 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "He laid hands on him" is krateo, which means to be strong, powerful: "to rule," "to hold sway," "to be the lord and master," "to conquer," "to prevail over," "to get the upper hand," "to seize," "to control," and "to command."
αὐτὸν (adj sg masc acc)"Him" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
ἔπνιγεν [2 verses](verb 3rd sg imperf ind act) "Took him by the throat" is pnigo, which means to "choke," "throttle," "strangle," "cook in a close-covered vessel," "bake," "stew," and metaphorically "vex," and "torment."
λέγων [264 verses](part sg pres act masc nom) "Saying" is from lego, which means "to recount," "to tell over," "to say," "to speak," "to teach," "to mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command." It has a secondary meaning "pick out," "choose for oneself," "pick up," "gather," "count," and "recount." A less common word that is spelt the same means "to lay," "to lay asleep" and "to lull asleep."
Ἀπόδος [22 verses](verb 2nd sg aor imperat act) "Pay" is from apodidomi which means "to give back," "to restore," and "to deliver." It has the economic sense of "to sell" or "to give something for one's own profit." It begins with apo the preposition of separation and origin, the idea of "from" in English, didômi which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," and "to describe."
εἴ (conj) "That" is ei, which is the particle used to express conditions "if" (implying nothing about its fulfillment) or indirect questions, "whether." It also means "if ever," "in case," and "whenever." It is combined with various conjunctions to create derivative conditions. τι (pron sg neut acc) "That" is from tis which can mean "someone," "any one," "everyone," "they [indefinite]," "many a one," "whoever," "anyone," "anything," "some sort," "some sort of," "each," "any," "the individual," "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who," "why," or "what."
ὀφείλεις. [5 verses](verb 2nd sg pres/imperf ind act) "Owest" is from opheilô, which means "to owe," "to have to pay," "to be bound to render," "to be bound," "to be obliged," and "to account for."
The term translated as "fellow servant" is a friendly one, with the sense of a fellow companion, someone with whom you share things.
Leaving [the king], the man enslaved there for his debts discovered one of his fellow slaves who owed him several thousand dollars. Overpowering him, he strangled him, saying, "Pay it back if you owe it!"