18:32a

Then: This word indicates that the events in this verse happened sometime after the events in the previous verse. It does not necessarily mean that they happened immediately after it.

Here is another way to translate this word:

After that

the master: This same phrase occurs in 18:25b. The Greek and some English versions have the pronoun “his,” which refers to the first servant.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

his master (English Standard Version)
-or-
The king (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the chief

summoned him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as summoned also means “called to.” This same verb occurs in 18:2a. There the Berean Standard Bible translates this word as “invited.”

Here, the context implies that the king told his servants to go get this man. Or he told the man himself to come present himself.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

called the servant in (New International Version)
-or-
sent for the man (New Jerusalem Bible)

18:32b

You wicked servant: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You wicked servant is simply “wicked servant.” Here the king spoke directly to the servant to criticize him. In English, the word You can be added to this phrase to show that the king spoke directly to the servant.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Evil slave! (NET Bible)
-or-
You ⌊are a⌋ wicked servant/man!
-or-
You are wicked/bad!

wicked: This word describes something that is evil, worthless or bad. For example:

You worthless slave! (Good News Translation)

18:32c

I forgave all your debt because you begged me: The clause I forgave all your debt is a result clause. The clause because you begged me is a reason clause. In some languages, it may be more natural to put the reason clause before the result clause. For example:

You begged me ⌊to have patience⌋ and so ⌊I did even more.⌋ I canceled all that debt.
-or-
When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. (Contemporary English Version)

I forgave all your debt: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I forgave refers to forgiving/canceling a debt. This same verb occurs in 18:27b.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I canceled your entire debt (God’s Word)
-or-
I told you that you did not have to pay anything (New Century Version)

all your debt: This phrase refers to the enormous sum of money that the first servant owed. The king said all to indicate that the forgiveness was complete.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

that tremendous debt (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the whole amount you owed me (Good News Translation)

-or-

all the money that you owed me

because: This conjunction indicates that the following clause is the reason why the king forgave the debt.

you begged me: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as begged means “pleaded” or “asked urgently.” For example:

you pleaded with me (English Standard Version)

This same verb occurs in 18:29a. You should translate it the same way in both places.

© 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.