Paragraph 18:28–30
18:28a
But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between a king who forgave a large debt (18:24–27) and a servant who did not forgive a small debt (18:28–30). Some English versions (like the Berean Standard Bible) indicate this contrast by beginning this paragraph with the conjunction But.
In some languages, the contrast is obvious, and it may not be natural to introduce it with a conjunction like But. If that is true in your language, it may be more natural to begin this paragraph with a simple time word or phrase. For example:
Then (Good News Translation)
-or-
Later (New Century Version)
You should do what is most natural in your language.
when that servant: This servant was the same man from 18:27. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
when that same servant (English Standard Version)
-or-
Then the man (Good News Translation)
went out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went out indicates that the servant left the presence of the king or left the house of the king. If including the location is more natural in your language, you should use a general reference such as “there.”
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
left ⌊there⌋
-or-
left ⌊the palace/house⌋ and ⌊then⌋
18:28b
he found: There are several ways to interpret the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as found:
The servant went searching for the other servant. For example:
he went to (New Living Translation (2004))
(New Living Translation (2004))
The servant met the other servant without planning to. For instance:
he came upon (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
he happened to meet (Contemporary English Version)
(Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). There are several contrasts in this story, and this is one of them. The king had the servant brought to him. The king could do that because he was of higher status than the servant. But the servant did not have a higher status than his fellow servant. He had to go find him to get his money.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
he went to (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
he went searching for and found
one of his fellow servants: The words fellow servants refer to the fact that both people referred to in this verse were servants of the king.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
another servant (New Century Version)
-or-
a second servant ⌊of the king⌋
a hundred denarii: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible transliterates as denarii is the plural of “denarius.” A denarius was the name of a Roman coin. This coin was worth the same as the wages for a farm worker for one day of work.
One hundred denarii was almost nothing in comparison with ten thousand talents.
Here are some other ways to translate this term:
• Transliterate the word denarii or “denarius.” For example:
a hundred denarii (New International Version)
It you use this option, you may want to include a footnote. A sample footnote is:
A hundred denarii were worth the same as the wages for a farm worker for a hundred days of work. This may have been a large debt for the second servant. But it was very, very small compared to the debt of the first servant.
• Use the name of a general kind of coin. For example:
a hundred silver coins (NET Bible)
• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
an amount much smaller than his own debt
-or-
a small debt
Some English versions use the American currency “dollars.” It is not recommended that you translate the term a hundred denarii using an amount of money in your national currency. The value of the currency used may change over time. In addition, using a modern currency removes this story from its historical setting.
18:28c
He grabbed him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as grabbed means to “take hold of” or “seize” something. In this context, it probably means that he grabbed him by the throat. For example:
he grabbed him by the throat (NET Bible)
-or-
he grabbed him around the neck
began to choke him: In this context, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as choke refers to putting his hands around the other servant’s throat and squeezing with an intent to kill.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
he started choking him (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he started squeezing his neck
18:28d
saying: In Greek, the form of the verb saying indicates that the first servant spoke while he was choking the second servant.
Here are some other ways to indicate this:
at the same time he said
-or-
While he was doing this he said
Pay back what you owe me!: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as what refers to the hundred denarii that he owed.
Here are some other ways to translate this command:
Pay back all that you owe me!
-or-
Pay me the money you owe me! (New Century Version)
-or-
Reimburse what you owe me!
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