7:42a–b
When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them: The moneylender forgave the debts of the two men because they could not pay him back. Some ways to translate this connection in English are:
When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. (NET Bible)
-or-
And since they were unable to pay, he generously cancelled both of their debts. (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. (New Living Translation (2004))
Translate the connection in a natural way in your language.
he forgave both of them: The phrase he forgave both of them means that the moneylender said that neither of the men had to pay him back. In this context, the word forgave does not mean that the men had done something wrong to the moneylender and he forgave them for that. Another way to translate this is:
the banker told both of them they did not have to pay him (New Century Version)
In some languages it may be more natural to indicate that the moneylender’s action actually applied to the money that they owed, rather than to say that he forgave them. For example:
he forgave the debts of both (New International Version)
forgave: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as forgave can refer to showing any kind of kindness to a person who did nothing to deserve it. Examples of such kindness include giving a gracious gift or generously forgiving an offense. So some English versions translate in a way that fits well with forgiving sins, as well as debts (7:47). For example:
graciously forgave them both (New American Standard Bible)
If it is possible in your language to use the same word for canceling debts and forgiving sins, consider using that word here and also in 7:43a, 7:47a, and 7:47c.
7:42c
Which one, then, will love him more?: This is the sort of question that a teacher asks to help his students to think about something. Jesus expected an answer and received one.
then: The Greek word oun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then is literally “therefore.” It means “as a result of this.” It introduces a question that Jesus asked Simon. He asked what Simon concluded about the two people who owed money. Many English versions introduce this question with “now.” (“Now” is not used as a time word here.) Others introduce the question with “therefore” (King James Version), “so” (New American Standard Bible), or “then” (Good News Translation), and some do not use a connector (New Jerusalem Bible). Connect the question to the illustration in 7:41–42b in a natural way in your language.
Which one…him: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Which one is literally “which of them” in Greek. The pronoun “them” refers to the two men who borrowed money from the moneylender. The word him refers to the moneylender. Some other English versions also do not translate the word “them.” Other ways to translate this are:
who do you think will love him the most? (God’s Word)
-or-
Who do you suppose loved him more after that? (New Living Translation (2004))
love: In this context love refers to the devotion and affection that a person has for someone who has helped him. This love and affection is based on being grateful to that person.
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