Luke 7:42

Luke 7:42 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
• New International Version (NIV)Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

Context of Luke 7:42

40Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I want to tell you something.’ Simon replied, ‘Yes, Teacher, tell me.’ So Jesus told him a story about two men: 41‘Someone had lent two men some money. He had lent one of them 500 silver coins. He had lent the other one 50 coins. Neither of the men had enough money to pay him back. Then the man that had lent them the money forgave them. “You do not need to pay back my money,” he said to them both.’ Jesus then asked Simon, ‘Which of these two men will love that man most?’ 43Simon replied, ‘I think that it is the man that needed to pay back the most money.’ ‘You are right,’ Jesus said. 44Then he turned towards the woman. ‘You see this woman,’ he said to Simon. ‘When I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and she has made them dry with her hair.

Luke 7:42 word by word

μὴ ἐχόντων αὐτῶν ἀποδοῦναι ἀμφοτέροις ἐχαρίσατο. τίς οὖν αὐτῶν πλεῖον ἀγαπήσει αὐτόν;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• whenἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• theyαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• nothingμήmē · notG3361
• to payἀποδίδωμιapodidōmi · to payG591
• he frankly forgaveχαρίζωcharizomai · to give graceG5483
• them bothἀμφότεροςamphoteros · bothG297
• Tell meλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• whichτίςtis · which?G5101
• will loveἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• mostπλείων, πλεῖονpleiōn pleion pleon · greaterG4119

Cross-references for Luke 7:42

• Psalms 49:7Nobody can pay the price to save another person. Nobody can pay God the price for their life.
• Matthew 18:25The servant could not pay his big debt to the king. So the king said to his men, “Sell the servant and his wife and his children and all his things. Then I will keep the money to pay his debt.”
• Romans 5:6At one time we were weak and we could not help ourselves. Then, at the right time, Christ died to save us. He died on behalf of people who have turned away from God.
• Galatians 3:10But some people try to obey all the rules of God's Law. They think that they will become right with God if they do this very well. But God will speak against people like that and he will punish them. It is written in the Bible: ‘God will punish everyone who does not always obey all the rules in his Law completely.’
• Psalms 32:1When God has forgiven someone's sins, they are truly happy! They may have turned against God, but when God forgives them, they are happy.
• Psalms 51:1Please forgive me, God, because of your faithful love. Because you are so kind, please clean away my sins.
• Psalms 103:3He forgives all my sins. He makes me well again when I am ill.
• Isaiah 43:25But I am the one who removes your sins when you do not obey me. I, the Lord, do that, because of who I am. I do not hold your sins in my mind.
• Isaiah 44:22I have removed the guilt of your sins, like the wind blows away a cloud. When you turned against me, I have quickly forgiven you. Return to me now, because I have rescued you.’
• Jeremiah 31:33‘Yes, I will make a new covenant with Israel's people at that time. It will be like this: I will put my law deep inside them, in their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Daniel 9:18Listen to us, my God. Our towns have become heaps of stones. See what has happened to the city that belongs to you. We do not ask you to do this because we are righteous people. We ask you because you are very kind.
• Micah 7:18No other god is like you. You chose us to be your people. And you decide not to remember what we have done wrong. Not many of your people remain and we have done bad things. But you choose to forget those bad things. You will not always be angry, because you want very much to be kind.
• Matthew 6:12We have forgiven people who have done wrong things to us. In the same way, please forgive us for the wrong things that we have done.
• Acts 13:38My friends, I want all of you to know this. God forgives us for the bad things that we have done. He does this because of what Jesus did. That is my message to you.
• Romans 3:24But because God is very kind, he accepts us as right with himself. That is God's gift to us. Jesus Christ has paid for our sins so that we have become free.
• Romans 4:5But someone may believe in God. He does not work to cause God to accept him. God accepts that person because of their faith. God says that people who have turned away from him are right with him, if they trust him. That is God's gift to them.

Commentaries on Luke 7:42

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Which of them will love him most? - Which is under the greater obligation and should love him most?Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Frankly forgave - Freely forgave, or forgave entirely without any compensation. This is not designed to express anything about the way in which God forgives sinners. He forgives - forgives freely, but it is in connection with the “atonement” made by the Lord Jesus. If it was a mere “debt” which we owed to God, he might forgive, as this creditor did, without an equivalent. But it is “crime” which he forgives. He pardons as a moral governor. A parent might…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 36-50Verses 36-50 None can truly perceive how precious Christ is, and the glory of the gospel, except the broken-hearted. But while they feel they cannot enough express self-abhorrence on account of sin, and admiration of his mercy, the self-sufficient will be disgusted, because the gospel encourages such repenting sinners. The Pharisee, instead of rejoicing in the tokens of the woman's repentance, confined his thoughts to her former bad character. But without…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-50What Jesus said in 7:35 is shown in this story by one of “wisdom’s children” (see study note on 7:35). She is a repentant sinner (a person who turns away from sin). She shows deep gratitude for the forgiveness she has received.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 40-4340-43. Like Nathan with David, our Lord conceals His home thrust under the veil of a parable, and makes His host himself pronounce upon the case. The two debtors are the woman and Simon; the criminality of the one was ten times that of the other (in the proportion of "five hundred" to "fifty"); but both being equally insolvent, both are with equal frankness forgiven; and Simon is made to own that the greatest debtor to forgiving mercy will cling to her…Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 7:42

• Creditor
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Repentance
• Self-Righteousness
• Simon
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Apparel
• Delicately
• Eating
• Frankly
• Instantly
• Magdalene
• Meals
• Sit
• Wipe
• Bethany

Commentaries on Luke 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings