Exegesis:
Vv. 58f supplement v. 57 by means of a parable-like story without proper introduction, in the 2nd person singular. The implication of vv. 58f is: do what v. 57 suggests before it is too late. Even in the singular the parable applies to the crowds (v. 54).
hōs gar hupageis meta tou antidikou sou ep’ archonta ‘for while you are going to the magistrate with your opponent.’ For hōs with present tense, ‘while,’ ‘as long as’; for hupagō cf. on 8.42.
antidikos (also 18.3) ‘opponent in a lawsuit.’
archōn here ‘magistrate,’ ‘judge.’
en tē hodō dos ergasian apellachthai ap’ autou ‘do your best to come to terms with him (while still) on the/your way.’ en tē hodō is emphatic by position. dos ergasian probably is a Latinism and means ‘make an effort,’ ‘do your best.’
apallassomai apo tinos lit. ‘to get rid of somebody,’ i.e. ‘to settle, or, to come to terms, with somebody.’
mēpote katasurē se pros ton kritēn ‘lest he should drag you before the judge.’ mēpote is somewhat stronger than mē with subjunctive and lends a touch of threat to what follows. The subject of katasurē is ho antidikos and ton kritēn refers to the same officer as archonta.
katasurō ‘to drag away by force.’
kai ho kritēs se paradōsei to praktori ‘and the judge will hand you over to the bailiff.’ The clause is no longer dependent upon mēpote, as shown by the future indicative of paradōsei, and describes what will be the sure outcome when the opposing parties have appeared before the judge. For paradidōmi cf. on 1.2.
praktōr here an official of the court who executes the sentences of the court and is in charge of the prison, ‘bailiff,’ ‘constable.’
kai ho praktōr se balei eis phulakēn ‘and the bailiff will throw you into prison.’ For phulakē cf. on 2.8. For the future tense of balei see above.
(V. 59) legō soi ‘I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.
ou mē exelthēs ekeithen ‘you shall not come out from there.’ For ou mē with subjunctive cf. on 1.15.
heos kai to eschaton lepton apodōs ‘until you have paid back even the last cent.’ For apodidōmi cf. on 4.20.
lepton (also 21.2) lit. ‘small,’ ‘thin’ (adjective), here a neuter substantive denoting a small copper coin of little value.
Translation:
The case envisaged in this parable is like this. Two persons, in dispute about a debt, take the matter to the magistrate that usually settles such disputes. The party that is in the wrong will do well, then, to propose satisfactory terms and thus get the other party to release him before they are in the court. If not, his case will be tried and decided with unpleasant consequences for him. Jesus compares his collocutors, i.e. “the multitudes”, with the party that has to give in: in spiritual matters they should act as quickly as he advises them to do in this juridical matter.
For … It may be desirable to mark the following advice as a metaphor or simile, e.g. ‘for it is like this…’ “for instance” (Phillips).
As you go with your accuser before … Probably the initiative was not with the party that was in the wrong (i.e. the party referred to by ‘you’); hence, ‘when you and the one opposing you are on your way together to…’ (Ekari), ‘if you are called to-be-arranged (i.e. to have a dispute settled) with one-who-is-against-you in presence of…’ (Tzeltal), or even, “if a man brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to….” (Good News Translation). You, i.e. someone amongst you, as expressed by the singular form. Accuser, ‘adversary/opponent,’ ‘dispute-partner’ (Zarma). ‘he who calls the lawsuit’ (an idiom found in West Nyanja), ‘he who brings the case’ (Shona 1963). For ‘to accuse’ cf. also 6.7.
Magistrate, slightly more generic synonym of ‘judge’ (next clause); ‘chief,’ ‘headman’ are amongst the acceptable renderings, provided these authorities have some kind of juridical function.
To settle with him, or, ‘to be-good-with-each-other(-again)’ (Tae’ 1933), “to obtain a release from him” (Translator’s New Testament). Versions tend to use ‘to be released/set-free/delivered from’ (probably because this is close to the literal meaning of the Greek); such renderings may, however, suggest a narrow escape by running away, rather than a release because the matter in dispute has been settled.
On the way, preferably renderings like, “while you are still on the way” (New English Bible, similarly Bahasa Indonesia RC, Tae’), “before you get there” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation); the phrase, indicating the period before the decisive event, is basic to the understanding of the parable.
Lest he drag you to the judge, or, ‘in order that he may not drag you (or, compel you to come/appear) before the judge’; or, with a non-subordinate clause, ‘otherwise, or, if (you do) not, he will drag you…..’
To bring out that and the judge hand you over … is not dependent on “lest” one may start a new sentence here, ‘Then the judge will hand you over to (or, deliver you in the hands of).’
Officer has been rendered, ‘jailer’ (because of the next clause), cf. also, ‘watcher (i.e. guard)’ (Ekari), ‘warden’ (Thai 1967), or, ‘soldier’ (Lomwe), ‘(village) policeman’ (Zarma); where such terms are not available or would not fit the context one may describe the function as ‘his (i.e. the judge’s) helper/assistant,’ ‘his subordinate’ (cf. Shona 1963).
To put in prison, see “shut up in prison” in 3.20.
(V. 59) For till see 1.20.
You have paid the very last copper, i.e. of your debt, a reference to which may have to be added, cf. e.g. ‘you-have-paid that debt-of-yours, not one half-cent lacking’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘your debt is-paid-off, not one cash still being-left-over’ (Balinese). For copper, or, ‘mite,’ ‘farthing,’ cf. 21.2. There may exist idiomatic phrases for the smallest amount one can imagine, e.g. ‘one penny split in seven’ (Malay); elsewhere idiom prefers an expression not mentioning a specific coin, cf. e.g. ‘you have cleared your debt to-the-very-end-of-it’ (Bahasa Indonesia), ‘you have paid your debt to its-being-cleared entirely’ (Javanese).
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.