23
For this reasonΔιὰ τοῦτοthe kingdomἡ βασιλείαof heavenτῶν οὐρανῶνhas become likeὡμοιώθηto a man,ἀνθρώπῳa king,βασιλεῖwhoὃςwantedἠθέλησενto settleσυνᾶραιaccountsλόγονwithμετὰhis slaves.τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ
Matthew 18:23
Study it in the app“For this reason the kingdom of heaven has become like to a man, a king, who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.”
The forgiven servant will not forgive his fellow servantForgivenessA servant forgiven a huge debt will not forgive a small oneJustice and mercy
With the Greek beneath
Matthew 18:23, word by word
- the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia
kingdom of God
God's rule, which comes with Jesus.
Where else “basileia” appears- of heavenοὐρανῶνouranōn
heaven
God's dwelling, above all that is created.
Where else “ouranōn” appears- has become likeὡμοιώθηhōmoiōthē
become like
To become like another, to take on their likeness.
Where else “hōmoiōthē” appears- to a manἀνθρώπῳanthrōpōi
someone
Any person, without saying who, as in the parables.
Where else “anthrōpōi” appears- a kingβασιλεῖbasilei
king
The one who rules a people with the highest authority.
Where else “basilei” appears- wantedἠθέλησενēthelēsen
want
To have the desire or the resolve for something.
Where else “ēthelēsen” appears- to settleσυνᾶραιsynarai
settle accounts
Settle accounts with someone.
Where else “synarai” appears- accountsλόγονlogon
account
Explaining what one did; a why, or a topic.
Where else “logon” appears- his slavesδούλωνdoulōn
slave
A person who belongs to a master and serves him.
Where else “doulōn” appears
The context
22Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.
23 · This verse (above)
24And when he began to settle them, one debtor was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.
To study Matthew 18 in a group
1. What it says
What did Jesus put in the middle of the disciples when they asked who is greatest (vv. 1–3)?
2. What it means
Why does Jesus tell the parable of the slave who was forgiven a huge debt (vv. 23–35)?
3. How I live it
Peter asked how many times to forgive (v. 21). Whom do you find hard to forgive, and what small first step can you take?