Matthew 18:27

His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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KJV

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

ASV

And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

YLT

and the lord of that servant having been moved with compassion did release him, and the debt he forgave him.

DBT

And the lord of that bondman, being moved with compassion, loosed him and forgave him the loan.

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Commentary voices

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Voices6

On this verse

Abundant is the bounty of God, and His clemency to sinners converted, seeing He is ever ready to forgive sins by baptism or penitence, as it follows, But the lord of that servant had mercy upon him, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

Remigius of Rheims· Catena Aurea by Aquinas, 533patristic

Related commentary

The servant therefore fell down prostrate before him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. Behold the power of repentance and the …

Theophylact of Ohrid· Commentary on Matthew, 1107patristic

Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion,....

John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed

The lord of that servant was moved with compassion ... - He had pity on him. He saw his distressed condition. He pitied his family. He forgave him the whole debt. This represents the mercy of God to people. They have sinned. They owe to God more than can be paid. They are about to be cast off; but God has mercy on them, and, in connection with their prayers, forgives them. We are not to interpret the circumstances of a parable too strictly.

Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt--Payment being hopeless, the master is first moved with compassion; next, liberates his debtor from prison; and then cancels the debt freely.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed

So the disciples here did, when they asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? They suppose that all who have a place in that kingdom are great, for it is a kingdom of priests. Note, Those are truly great who are truly good; and they will appear so at last, when Christ shall own them as his, though ever so mean and poor in the world.

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

Voices on this verse

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Cross-references

10 linked verses

The verses this one reaches10

Psalms 145:8
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
Nehemiah 9:17
They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.
Hosea 11:8
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!
Luke 6:30
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.
Judges 10:16
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
Psalms 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
Psalms 78:38
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
Ezekiel 18:17
He withholds his hand from harming the poor and takes no interest or usury. He keeps My ordinances and follows My statutes. Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live.
Nehemiah 10:31
When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow, and will cancel every debt.

Cross-references

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The quotation web

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Original language

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Around this verse

Word doors

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

Themes on this verse

Forgiveness
the parable's turning point: an unpayable debt cancelled outright by the master's compassion, not negotiation

About this book

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Matthew — The Gospel of the promised King. Five discourses punctuate the narrative; roughly sixty-five Old Testament citations bind the story to the prophets.

Canon: New Testament
Author: Matthew (Levi), a former tax collector called by Jesus
Date: c. AD 50–60

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Psalms 145:8
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
leads to
- Psalms 86:5
  For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
  Reached by 3 independent paths from here.
- Numbers 14:18
  ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon…
Through
Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
leads to
- Psalms 103:8
  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Ephesians 2:4–7
  But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
- Psalms 130:7
  O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.
- Ephesians 1:7
  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Through
Hosea 11:8
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within…
leads to
- Jeremiah 31:20
  Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares…
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 32:36
  For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

Where the connections lead

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