In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
Parallel translations
- WEB His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
- KJV And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
- NKJV And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
- NASB And his master, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed him.
- NLT Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In anger the king hands the unmerciful servant to the jailers until he pays all. Refusing to forgive invites severe judgment.
Overview
The king's wrath and the handing over to 'tormentors' depict the seriousness of divine judgment against unforgiveness. Since the debt was unpayable, the sentence is effectively without end. The image warns that a persistently unforgiving heart shows it has not truly received God's mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Jas 2:13For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Matt 5:25–26Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
- Luke 12:58–59Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.
- 2 Th 1:8–9in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- Matt 18:30But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
- Rev 14:10–11he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 18:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.