The Meaning of Matthew 18:27 Explained

Matthew 18:27

KJV: Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

YLT: and the lord of that servant having been moved with compassion did release him, and the debt he forgave him.

Darby: And the lord of that bondman, being moved with compassion, loosed him and forgave him the loan.

ASV: And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  the lord  of that  servant  was moved with compassion,  and loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the debt. 

What does Matthew 18:27 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 18:21-35 - Forgiven Yet Unforgiving
Seventy times seven is illimitable forgiveness. These numbers denote the perfection of perfection; and if God asks so much of us, what is He not prepared to do! Despair of yourself, but never despair of God's forgiving mercy! The cause of soul-ruin is not sin, but the unbelief that thinks sin too great to be forgiven.
The difference between the two amounts of debt named in the parable sets forth the vast difference between our indebtedness to man and to God; and the free pardon of the king teaches us that God desires not only to forgive us, but to wipe out all memory of our sins. We could never pay all, but God will forgive all. Yet, notice that this servant forfeited the king's pardon, so that it ceased to operate. Similarly we may shut ourselves out of the benefits of Christ's death-though it has reconciled the world unto God-by an unforgiving and merciless spirit. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

Greek Commentary for Matthew 18:27

The debt [το δανιον]
The loan. Common in the papyri for a loan. The interest had increased the debt enormously. “This heavy oriental usury is of the scenery of the parable” (McNeile). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 18:27 mean?

Having been moved with compassion now the master of the servant that released him and the debt forgave him
Σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἀπέλυσεν αὐτόν καὶ τὸ δάνειον ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ

Σπλαγχνισθεὶς  Having  been  moved  with  compassion 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: σπλαγχνίζομαι  
Sense: to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
κύριος  master 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δούλου  servant 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: δοῦλοσ1 
Sense: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition.
ἐκείνου  that 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκεῖνος  
Sense: he, she it, etc.
ἀπέλυσεν  released 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπολύω  
Sense: to set free.
δάνειον  debt 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: δάνειον 
Sense: a loan.
ἀφῆκεν  forgave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀφίημι 
Sense: to send away.