Matthew 18:29

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And {G3767} his {G846} fellowservant {G4889} fell down {G4098} at {G1519} his {G846} feet {G4228}, and besought {G3870} him {G846}, saying {G3004}, Have patience {G3114} with {G1909} me {G1698}, and {G2532} I will pay {G591} thee {G4671} all {G3956}.

His fellow servant fell before him and begged, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’

So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee.

Matthew 18:29 captures a pivotal moment within Jesus' powerful Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Here, the servant who had just been forgiven an insurmountable debt by his master is confronted by a fellow servant who owes him a comparatively small sum. The verse describes the second servant's desperate plea for leniency, mirroring the first servant's own appeal to the king.

Context

This verse is crucial to understanding the irony and moral lesson of the parable. Jesus tells this story immediately after Peter asks how many times he should forgive his brother (Matthew 18:21-22), to which Jesus replies, "seventy times seven." The parable illustrates the boundless nature of God's forgiveness towards humanity and the expectation that we, in turn, extend similar grace to others. The first servant's refusal to forgive his fellow servant, despite his own recent experience of immense grace, highlights a profound spiritual hypocrisy.

Key Themes

  • Plea for Mercy: The fellow servant's urgent request, "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all," demonstrates a desperate need for grace and understanding, much like the first servant's plea to the king.
  • The Nature of Debt: The contrast between the two debts (an immense, unpayable sum vs. a relatively small, repayable amount) underscores the vast difference between our debt to God and others' debts to us.
  • Irony and Hypocrisy: The verse sets up the stark irony that the one who received the greatest mercy is unwilling to show even a little mercy to another. This is central to the parable's message about genuine forgiveness.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "besought him" translates from the Greek word παρεκάλει (parekalei), which implies an earnest, urgent, and even pleading request. This is the same strong term used earlier in the parable to describe the first servant's plea to the king. The repetition emphasizes the intensity of the appeal for 'patience,' which comes from the Greek μακροθυμία (makrothymia), meaning longsuffering or forbearance. It's the very quality the first servant had received but failed to extend.

Practical Application

Matthew 18:29 serves as a powerful mirror, reflecting our own tendencies. It challenges us to consider if we, having received immeasurable forgiveness from God, are quick to withhold forgiveness from those who owe us. The verse underscores the principle taught in the Lord's Prayer: "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." True understanding of God's grace should compel us to extend that same grace to others. The tragic outcome for the unforgiving servant, revealed later in the parable (Matthew 18:33), serves as a solemn warning against a lack of compassion.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.
  • Matthew 18:26

    The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
  • Matthew 6:12

    And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
  • Philemon 1:18

    If he hath wronged thee, or oweth [thee] ought, put that on mine account;
  • Philemon 1:19

    I Paul have written [it] with mine own hand, I will repay [it]: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
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