Matthew 18:24
New International Version
As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.

New Living Translation
In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.

English Standard Version
When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

Berean Standard Bible
As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.

Berean Literal Bible
And he having begun to settle, one was brought to him, a debtor of ten thousand talents.

King James Bible
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

New King James Version
And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

New American Standard Bible
And when he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

NASB 1995
“When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

NASB 1977
“And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents.

Legacy Standard Bible
When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

Amplified Bible
When he began the accounting, one who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him.

Christian Standard Bible
When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents was brought before him.

American Standard Version
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents.

Contemporary English Version
As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him 50,000,000 silver coins.

English Revised Version
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When he began to do this, a servant who owed him millions of dollars was brought to him.

Good News Translation
He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.

International Standard Version
When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him.

Majority Standard Bible
As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.

NET Bible
As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him.

New Heart English Bible
When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

Weymouth New Testament
But as soon as he began the settlement, one was brought before him who owed 10,000 talents,

World English Bible
When he had begun to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he having begun to take account, there was brought near to him one debtor of a myriad of talents,

Berean Literal Bible
And he having begun to settle, one was brought to him, a debtor of ten thousand talents.

Young's Literal Translation
and he having begun to take account, there was brought near to him one debtor of a myriad of talents,

Smith's Literal Translation
And he having begun to settle accounts, one was brought him, a debtor of ten thousand talents.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when he had begun taking account, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

New American Bible
When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

New Revised Standard Version
When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when he began to take the accounting, they brought to him one who owed ten thousand talents.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when he began to take it, they brought him one who owed 10,000 talents.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And when he began to make a settlement, there was brought to him one that owed him ten thousand talents.

Godbey New Testament
And he beginning to reckon, one was brought to him owing him myriads of talents.

Haweis New Testament
And when he began to make up the account, there was brought to him one debtor, ten thousand talents in arrear:

Mace New Testament
when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him indebted the sum of ten thousand talents.

Weymouth New Testament
But as soon as he began the settlement, one was brought before him who owed 10,000 talents,

Worrell New Testament
And, when he began to reckon, there was brought to him one debtor of ten thousand talents;

Worsley New Testament
and when he began to reckon, there was brought to him one, who was debtor in ten thousand talents:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Unforgiving Servant
23Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. 25Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.…

Cross References
Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Luke 7:41-42
“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. / When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”

Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. / To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. / The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. ...

Luke 16:1-12
Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. / So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ / The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. ...

Romans 13:8
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Colossians 3:13
Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

Psalm 37:21
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.

Exodus 22:25
If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.

Deuteronomy 15:1-2
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. / This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.

Leviticus 25:39-41
If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. / Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. / Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers.

Nehemiah 5:3-5
Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” / Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. / We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

2 Kings 4:1
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”


Treasury of Scripture

And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

owed.

Luke 7:41,42
There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty…

Luke 13:4
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

Luke 16:5,7
So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? …

ten thousand.

1 Chronicles 29:7
And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

Ezra 9:6
And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Psalm 38:4
For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

talents.

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Account Begun Debt Debtor Myriad Owed Reckon Reckoning Reconcile Settle Settlement Soon Start Talents Ten Thousand
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Account Begun Debt Debtor Myriad Owed Reckon Reckoning Reconcile Settle Settlement Soon Start Talents Ten Thousand
Matthew 18
1. Jesus warns his disciples to be humble and harmless,
7. to avoid offenses,
10. and not to despise the little ones;
15. teaches how we are to deal with our brothers when they offend us,
21. and how often to forgive them;
23. which he sets forth by a parable of the king who took account of his servants,
32. and punished him who showed no mercy to his fellow servant.














As he began the settlements
This phrase introduces the parable of the unforgiving servant, where a king is settling accounts with his servants. The Greek word for "settlements" is "sunairein," which implies a formal process of reckoning or accounting. In a spiritual context, this can be seen as a metaphor for God's judgment, where each person must give an account of their life. The process of settlement reflects the divine justice and mercy of God, who desires reconciliation and restoration.

a debtor was brought to him
The debtor in this parable represents humanity, burdened by sin and unable to repay the debt owed to God. The Greek term "opheiletes" for "debtor" emphasizes the moral and spiritual obligation that humanity has towards God. This imagery is powerful, illustrating the human condition of being spiritually bankrupt without divine intervention. The act of being "brought to him" signifies the inevitability of facing God's judgment, where every individual must confront their spiritual state.

owing ten thousand talents
The amount "ten thousand talents" is hyperbolic, representing an unpayable debt. In the historical context, a single talent was a significant sum, often equated to about 20 years of a laborer's wages. Therefore, ten thousand talents would be an astronomical amount, symbolizing the vastness of human sin and the impossibility of repaying it through human effort alone. This underscores the need for divine grace and forgiveness, as no one can settle their spiritual debt without God's mercy. The use of such a large number also highlights the boundless nature of God's forgiveness, which is available to all who seek it with a repentant heart.

(24) Ten thousand talents.--It is hardly necessary to discuss in detail the value in modern coinage of the sum thus described. Assuming the Greek "talent" to have been rightly used by the LXX. translators for the Hebrew kikar in Exodus 38:25-26, we have a basis of calculation which makes the talent equal to 3,000 shekels; and taking the shekel as equal to four drachmae, this makes the 10,000 talents about 2,500,000 sterling. The sum is evidently named in its vague vastness to indicate the immensity of the debt which man owes to God, the absolute impossibility of his ever clearing off the aggregate, ever-accumulating, of sins of omission and commission which are brought home to his conscience when God "takes account" with him.

Verse 24. - When he had begun to reckon. This is the same word which is rendered "take account" in the previous verse, and means to compare receipts, expenditure, and balance. One was brought unto him. The defaulter did not come of himself and own his delinquency, but was brought into his lord's presence, probably by some who had discovered his defalcations, and desired to see him punished. Otherwise the phrase may refer merely to Oriental etiquette, according to which no one can cuter the royal presence without being formally allowed the interview, and ceremoniously introduced. Ten thousand talents. It is uncertain what is here meant by a talent, whether of silver or gold, of Jewish, or Attic, or Syriac standard; and, of course, the amount intended is variously understood. We must refer to the Bible dictionaries for an explanation of the term "talent," merely remarking here that the highest estimate would give six millions of our pounds, and the lowest more than half that amount. This huge stun must represent the total revenues of a province, and the debtor must have been a high and much-trusted official. It is used by our Lord to signify the infinite debt the sinner owes to God. Thus in the Lord's Prayer we have, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
As
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

he
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

began
ἀρξαμένου (arxamenou)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 756: To begin. Middle voice of archo; to commence.

the settlements,
συναίρειν (synairein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 4868: To compare (settle) accounts, make a reckoning. From sun and airo; to make up together, i.e. to compute.

a
εἷς (heis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.

debtor
ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3781: From opheilo; an ower, i.e. Person indebted; figuratively, a delinquent; morally, a transgressor.

was brought
προσηνέχθη (prosēnechthē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4374: From pros and phero; to bear towards, i.e. Lead to, tender, treat.

to him
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

owing ten thousand
μυρίων (myriōn)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3463: Plural of an apparently primary word; ten thousand; by extension, innumerably many.

talents.
ταλάντων (talantōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 5007: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the original form of tlao; a balance, i.e. a certain weight or 'talent'.


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Matthew 18:23
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