God’s Word Translation
Matthew 18:28
28But when that servant went away, he found a servant who owed him hundreds of dollars. He grabbed the servant he found and began to choke him. ‘Pay what you owe!’ he said.
Matthew 18:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)“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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
Context of Matthew 18:28
26Then the servant fell at his master’s feet and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay everything!’ 27“The master felt sorry for his servant, freed him, and canceled his debt. But when that servant went away, he found a servant who owed him hundreds of dollars. He grabbed the servant he found and began to choke him. ‘Pay what you owe!’ he said. 29“Then that other servant fell at his feet and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ 30But he refused. Instead, he turned away and had that servant put into prison until he would repay what he owed.
Read all of Matthew 18Matthew 18:28 word by word
ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος εὗρεν ἕνα τῶν συνδούλων αὐτοῦ ὃς ὤφειλεν αὐτῷ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια, καὶ κρατήσας αὐτὸν ἔπνιγεν λέγων· ἀπόδος εἴ τι ὀφείλεις.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- theδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
- sameἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
- went outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
- and foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
- oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
- ofσύνδουλοςsundoulos · fellow slaveG4889
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- owedὀφείλωopheilō opheileō · to oweG3784
- an hundredἑκατόνhekaton · hundredG1540
- penceδηνάριονdēnarion · denariusG1220
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- he laid handsκρατέωkrateō · to grasp/seizeG2902
- and tookπνίγωpnigō · to chokeG4155
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Payἀποδίδωμιapodidōmi · to payG591
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- thatτιςtis · oneG5100
Cross-references for Matthew 18:28
- Matthew 18:3Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 20:2After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day’s wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard.
- Deuteronomy 15:2This is what you will do: If you’ve made a loan, don’t collect payment on the debt your neighbor still owes you. Don’t demand that your neighbor or relative pay you, because the ⌞time⌟ for suspending payments on debts has been proclaimed in the Lord’s honor.
- Nehemiah 5:7After thinking it over, I confronted the nobles and the leaders. I told them, “You are charging interest on loans made to your own relatives.” I arranged for a large meeting to deal with them.
- Nehemiah 10:31If the inhabitants of the land bring merchandise or grain to sell on the day of rest—a holy day, we won’t buy anything from them on the day of rest or any other holy day. During the seventh year, we won’t plant the fields or collect any debts.
- Isaiah 58:3Why have we fasted if you are not aware of it? Why have we inflicted pain on ourselves if you don’t pay attention? Don’t you see that on the days you fast, you do what you want to do? You mistreat all your workers.
- Ezekiel 45:9“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’ve had enough of you, you princes of Israel. Stop your violence and looting, and do what is fair and right. Stop evicting my people, declares the Almighty Lord.
Commentaries on Matthew 18:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28A hundred pence - Rather denarii. The denarius was a Roman coin, worth about seven-pence halfpenny English. The original word should be retained, as our word penny does not convey the seventh part of the meaning. A hundred denarii would amount to about 3l. 2s. 6d. British, or, if reckoned as some do, at seven-pence three farthings, the sum would be 3l. 4s. 7d. Took him by the throat - . There is no word I am acquainted with, which so fully expresses the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him an hundred pence - Greek, denarionLatin, denarius; a Roman silver coin in common use. When Greece became subject to the Romans, and especially under the emperors, the denarius was regarded as of equal value with the Attic drachma - about 7 1/2 d. sterling, or 15 cents (circa 1880‘s); consequently, this debt was about 15 dollars - a very small sum compared with what had been…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-35Verses 21-35 Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deserves; this is the wages of sin, to be sold as a slave. It is the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28A hundred denarii: The first servant owed a debt about one million times larger than this amount owed to him.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2828. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants--Mark the difference here. The first case is that of master and servant; in this case, both are on a footing of equality. (See Mt 18:33, below.) which owed him an hundred pence--If Jewish money is intended, this debt was to the other less than one to a million. and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat--he seized and throttled him. saying, Pay me that thou owest--Mark the…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 18:28
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 18
- 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
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