Out of pity (Good News Translation “felt sorry”) translates a Greek verb which focuses upon the intestines as the place where the emotions of sorrow and pity are experienced. Out of means “because of” in this context. “Because he felt sorry for him” will express this phrase, for example. The verse can also be restructured slightly, as in “The king took pity on the official, and so set him free and canceled the debt.”

The lord of that servant is translated “The king” by Good News Translation in order to maintain continuity throughout the story; otherwise there is the possibility that the reader may wrongly distinguish between “the king” and “the lord of that servant.” See also verses 31 and 34 and the discussion there.

Released him may refer to the man’s release from prison; Barclay has “let him go free,” and Phillips “set him free.”

Forgave has the specific sense of “canceled” (An American Translation, New Jerusalem Bible). Using language that their readers will understand, translators have sometimes said something like “told him he would not have to pay what he owed.”

Debt translates a Greek noun which is used only here in the New Testament. It technically means a “loan,” but most translations prefer to use the broader term of “debt.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .