Matthew 18:23-27

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Matthew 18:23 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
2. Matthew 18:24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
3. Matthew 18:24 sn A talent was a huge sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual day’s wage for a worker. L&N 6.82 states, “a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight) with a value which fluctuated, depending upon the particular monetary system which prevailed at a particular period of time (a silver talent was worth approximately 6,000 denarii with gold talents worth at least thirty times that much).”
4. Matthew 18:25 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
5. Matthew 18:25 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
6. Matthew 18:25 tn Grk “and his wife.”
7. Matthew 18:26 tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.
8. Matthew 18:26 tc The majority of mss (א L W Γ Δ 058 0281 ƒ^{1, 13} 33 565 579 1241 1424 M it sy^p,h co) begin the slave’s plea with “Lord” (κύριε, kurie), though a few key witnesses lack this vocative (B D Θ 700 lat sy^s,c Or Chr). Understanding the parable to refer to the Lord, scribes would be naturally prone to add the vocative here, especially as the slave’s plea is a plea for mercy. Thus, the shorter reading is more likely to be authentic.