King James Version
Matthew 18
35 verses with commentary
Who Is the Greatest?
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
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KJV Study Commentary
The disciples' question 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' reveals worldly ambition creeping into spiritual ministry. They've seen Jesus' power and heard of the coming kingdom but understand neither its nature nor its values. This question exposes the human heart's natural pride and competition even among Christ's followers. Reformed theology recognizes that sinful nature persists in ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XVIII.
(1) **Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?**—St. Mark records more fully that they had disputed about this in the way, that our Lord, knowing their thoughts (Luke 9:47), asked them what had been the, subject of their debate, and that they were then silent. We may well believe that the promise made to Peter, and the special choice of the Three for closer converse, as in the recent T...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them.</strong> This verse is Jesus' dramatic response to the disciples' question about greatness in the kingdom of heaven (v. 1). The Greek verb "called" (<em>proskaleō</em>, προσκαλέω) suggests summoning with authority and affection. Jesus deliberately placed a <em>paidion</em> (παιδίον, small child) as a living illustr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Jesus called a little child unto him.**—As the conversation was “in the house” (Mark 9:33), and that house probably was Peter’s, the child may have been one of his. As in other like incidents (Matthew 19:13; Matthew 21:15-16), we may recognise in our Lord’s act a recognition of the special beauty of childhood, a tender love for the gracious trust and freedom from rivalry which it shows when,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares kingdom entrance requirement: 'Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven' (Greek: ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, 'unless you turn and become like children'). The verb στραφῆτε (turn, convert) indicates radical reorientation. 'Become as little children' (παιδία) requires humility, dependence,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Except ye be converted.**—The English word expresses the force of the Greek, but the “conversion” spoken of was not used in the definite, half-technical sense of later religious experiences. What was needed was that they should “turn” from their self-seeking ambition, and regain, in this respect, the relative blamelessness of children.
**Ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.**—The f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' statement 'Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven' answers the disciples' question about kingdom greatness (v. 1). True greatness requires childlike humility—recognizing total dependence on God. 'Humble himself' is active, not passive—choosing to renounce status-seeking and self-promotion. The paradox: greatness comes thr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Whosoever therefore shall humble himself.**—This, then, was the answer to the question “Who shall be the greatest.” The secret of true greatness lay in that unconsciousness of being great, which takes the lowest position as that which of right belongs to it. For a man to “humble himself” with the purpose of attaining greatness would frustrate itself, and reduce humility to an hypocrisy. The ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares that receiving 'one such little child in my name' equates to receiving Him. This elevates humble service to the overlooked and powerless as spiritual priority. The phrase 'in my name' signifies doing so for Christ's sake, seeing Him in the insignificant. Reformed ethics emphasizes that all service to others, particularly the weak and vulnerable, is service to Christ (Matthew 25:40)....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Whoso shall receive one such little child.**—The words are memorable as the first utterance of the truth afterwards proclaimed as the law of final judgment in Matthew 25:40, and as giving to that law the widest possible range of universality. No child of man is excluded from those whom Christ calls His brethren.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →Temptations to Sin
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus issues a severe warning about causing 'little ones which believe in me' to stumble. The Greek 'skandalizo' means to entrap, cause to sin, or destroy faith. The proposed punishment—drowning with a millstone—illustrates the seriousness of leading believers into sin. Reformed pastoral theology takes seriously the responsibility of spiritual leadership and the dangers of false teaching or immora...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Whoso shall offend.**—The words seem to indicate the thoughts which rise unbidden in the minds of men in proportion as they are Christ-like in character. We gaze on the innocent beauty of childhood with love and admiration. What if that beauty should be marred by the taint of evil? What if those who do the Tempter’s work should cause the “little one” to stumble and to fall?
**That a millston...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
The importance of humility.(1-6)
Caution against offences.(7-14)
The removal of offences.(15-20)
Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant.(21-35)
**Verses 1-6**
Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of p...
Read full commentary →Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Woe unto the world.**—The interjection is one of sorrow as well as denunciation, and here the former meaning is predominant, as the latter is in the next clause of the verse. The true meaning of “offence,” as meaning not the mere transgression of a law, but such a transgression as causes the fall of others, must be carefully borne in mind throughout. The words, “It must needs be that offence...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8, 9) **If thy hand or thy foot offend thee.**—(See Notes on Matthew 5:29-30.) The disciples had heard the words before in the Sermon on the Mount, but their verbal reproduction, sharpened as by a special personal application addressed not to the multitude but to the Twelve, gave them a new and solemn emphasis.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' warning 'Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven' prohibits despising believers ('little ones' representing humble disciples, v. 4). The phrase 'their angels do always behold the face of my Father' suggests angelic guardianship and intimate access to God. This reveals ho...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Take heed that ye despise not.**—The words remind us of what we are apt to forget in the wider range of the preceding verses. The child was still there, perhaps still folded in the arms of Jesus, still the object of His care, even while He spake of the wider offences that “must needs come” upon the world at large. Looking to the frequency with which our Lord’s words were addressed to the th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **For the Son of man is come.**—The words are wanting in many of the best MSS. Assuming their genuineness, two points call for special notice. (1.) The work of the Son of Man in saving that which was lost is given as the ground of the assertion of the special glory of the angels of the little ones. They are, in their ministry, sharers in His work, and that work is the highest expression of th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **If a man have an hundred sheep.**—The parable is repeated more fully in Luke 15:4-6, and will best find its full explanation there. The fact that it reappears there is significant as to the prominence, in our Lord’s thoughts and teaching, of the whole cycle of imagery on which it rests. Here the opening words, “How think ye?” sharpen its personal application to the disciples, as an appeal t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you , he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.</strong> Jesus's parable of the lost sheep climaxes with this stunning statement about divine joy. The conditional "if so be" (ἐὰν γένηται, <em>ean genētai</em>, "if it happens") acknowledges the search's uncertainty, yet the shepherd persists. When he "f...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Rejoiceth more of that sheep.**—More literally, *over it.*
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Even so it is not the will** **. . .**—The form of the proposition has all the force that belongs to the rhetorical use of the negative. “It is not the will” suggests the thought that the will of the Father is the very opposite of that, and so the words are identical in their teaching with those of St. Paul, “He will have all men to be saved” (1Timothy 2:4). The continued presence of the ch...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We mus...
Read full commentary →If Your Brother Sins Against You
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus establishes church discipline procedure: private confrontation first. The phrase 'if thy brother shall trespass against thee' indicates personal offense within the faith community. Going 'between thee and him alone' protects the offender's reputation while addressing sin. The goal is restoration—'thou hast gained thy brother'—not punishment or public humiliation. Reformed church polity takes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Moreover if thy brother shall trespass.**—Better, *and if thy brother shall sin.* A twofold train of thought is traceable in what follows. (1.) The presence of “offences” implies sin, and the question arises how each man is to deal with those sins which affect himself personally. (2.) The dispute in which the teaching recorded in this chapter had originated implied that the unity of the soc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 17 Mt 17:1-13. Jesus Is Transfigured--Conversation about Elias. ( = Mr 9:2-13; Lu 9:28-36).
For the exposition, see on Lu 9:28-36.
Mt 17:14-23. Healing of a Demoniac Boy--Second Explicit Announcement by Our Lord of His Approaching Death and Resurrection. ( = Mr 9:14-32; Lu 9:37-45).
**The time of this section is sufficiently denoted by the events which all the narratives show to have i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Take with thee one or two more.**—The principle of action is the same as before. The first point aimed at is the reformation of the offender without the scandal (here we may take the word both in its earlier and later senses) of publicity. If personal expostulation failed, then the *“*one or two” were to be called in. (Comp. 1Corinthians 6:5.) It is, of course, implied that they are not par...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **If he shall neglect to hear them.**—Better, *refuse,* the word implying something more than mere negligence.
**Tell it unto the church.**—Here, and here only in our Lord’s teaching after the promise to Peter (Matthew 16:18), we have the word *Ecclesia* repeated. The passage takes its place among the most conspicuous instances of the power of a word. Theories of church authority, as exercise...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money--**the double drachma; a sum equal to two Attic drachmas, and corresponding to the Jewish "half-shekel," payable, towards the maintenance of the temple and its services, by every male Jew of twenty years old and upward. For the origin of this annual tax, see Ex 30:13, 14; 2Ch 24:6, 9. Thus, it will be observed, it was not...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus extends 'binding and loosing' authority (previously given to Peter, 16:19) to the gathered church. This authority operates in church discipline—what the church binds/looses on earth reflects heaven's judgment. Reformed ecclesiology understands this as the church's authority in exercising discipline, declaring who is in/out of covenant community based on profession and conduct. This isn't arb...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth.**—(See Note on Matthew 16:19.) The promise before made to Peter is now extended not only to the other Apostles, but to the whole society of which they were the representatives, and is, of course, to be understood as dependent on the same implied, though not expressed, condition. So far as the *Ecclesia* was true to its Lord, and guided by His Spirit, it wa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. He saith, yes--**that is, "To be sure He does"; as if eager to remove even the suspicion of the contrary. If Peter knew--as surely he did--that there was at this time no money in the bag, this reply must be regarded as a great act of faith in his Master.
**And when he was come into the house--**Peter's.
**Jesus prevented him--**anticipated him; according to the old sense of the word "pre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus promises that two believers agreeing in prayer will receive answers from 'my Father which is in heaven.' This isn't blank-check prayer but corporate prayer aligned with God's will. The context of church discipline shows this particularly applies to restoration and kingdom purposes. Reformed theology emphasizes prayer's efficacy when offered in faith according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15). ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Shall agree on earth.**—The promise, as before, is dependent on implied conditions. Those who pray must be gathered together in the name of Christ (Matthew 18:20), *i.e.,* as trusting to His intercession, asking a prayer which is not the utterance of the natural but the spiritual man, asking it in entire submission to the will of their Father in heaven. In the absence of those conditions, a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. Peter saith unto him, Of strangers--**"of those not their children."
**Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free--**By "the children" our Lord cannot here mean Himself and the Twelve together, in some loose sense of their near relationship to God as their common Father. For besides that our Lord never once mixes Himself up with His disciples in speaking of their relation to God, but...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus promises corporate presence: 'For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them' (Greek: οὗ γάρ εἰσιν δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, 'for where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them'). The context is church discipline (verses 15-20), but the principle extends to all corporate gathering....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Where two or three . . .**—The true meaning of the words is well embodied in the well-known patristic axiom, *Ubi tres, ibi Ecclesia* (“Where three are there is a church”). The strength of the Christian society was not to be measured by a numerical standard, but by its fulfilment of the true conditions of its life. The presence of Christ was as true and mighty, His communion with His Church...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend--**stumble.
**them--**all ignorant as they are of My relation to the Lord of the Temple, and should misconstrue a claim to exemption into indifference to His honor who dwells in it.
**go thou to the sea--**Capernaum, it will be remembered, lay on the Sea of Galilee.
**and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-20**
If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every wh...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter's question 'Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?' appears generous—rabbinical tradition required forgiving three times. Peter's seven seems magnanimous. But Jesus' response 'I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven' (or 'seventy-seven times,' v. 22) demands unlimited forgiveness. The point isn't literal counting (49...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **How oft shall my brother sin . . .?**—The words of Matthew 18:15 had obviously told on the minds of the disciples, and had roused them to question with themselves. But they could not, all at once, take in the truth that the “commandment” was “exceeding broad.” Surely, they thought, there must be some limit to this way of dealing with the brother who has sinned against us? And the sacred num...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' command to forgive 'Until seventy times seven' establishes unlimited forgiveness as the kingdom standard. This isn't literal (491st offense is unforgivable!) but hyperbolic—stop counting and keep forgiving. The number echoes Genesis 4:24 (Lamech's unlimited vengeance), transforming vengeance into forgiveness. This impossible standard highlights that we can't forgive like this apart from exp...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Seventy times seven.**—The use of the symbolic numbers that indicated completeness was obviously designed to lead the mind of the questioner altogether away from any specially numerical standard as such. As there was no such limit to the forgiveness of God, so there should be none to that of man. The very question as to the latter showed the inquirer had not rightly apprehended the nature a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened** **. . .**—Over and above the direct teaching of the parable it has the interest, as regards its form, of being, in some sense, an advance on those of chapter 13, *i.e.,* as more fully bringing out human interests, and so more after the pattern of those that are characteristic of St. Luke.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. talents: a talent is 750.ounces of silver, which after five shillings the ounce is 187.li. 10.s.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>One was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents</strong> (μύρια τάλαντα)—an impossible debt of approximately 60 million denarii (a denarius = day's wage). The Greek <em>myria</em> means 'ten thousand,' the highest Greek numeral, and <em>talanton</em> (talent) was the largest monetary unit, worth 6,000 denarii. This astronomical sum—equivalent to 200,000 years' wages—represent...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Ten thousand talents.**—It is hardly necessary to discuss in detail the value in modern coinage of the sum thus described. Assuming the Greek “talent” to have been rightly used by the LXX. translators for the Hebrew *kikar* in Exodus 38:25-26, we have a basis of calculation which makes the talent equal to 3,000 shekels; and taking the shekel as equal to four *drachmæ,* this makes the 10,000...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>His lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had</strong>—Mosaic Law permitted debt slavery (Lev 25:39-46; Deut 15:12-18) with protections: Hebrew servants released in seven years, families protected. This parable depicts harsher Greco-Roman practice where entire households faced permanent bondage. The Greek <em>prathēnai</em> (πραθῆναι, 'to be sold') indi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **His lord commanded him to be sold.**—The framework of the parable was necessarily drawn from human laws, and, except as indicating the sentence of condemnation passed upon the sinner himself, there is no occasion of pressing the details as we unfold the spiritual meaning that lies below the imagery.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. worshipped him: or, besought him
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him</strong> (προσεκύνει αὐτῷ, <em>prosekynei autō</em>)—the Greek indicates repeated prostration in desperate supplication, not worship of deity. This physical posture of total helplessness and submission reflects the sinner's proper position before God: recognizing inability and pleading for mercy.<br><br><strong>Have patience with me, and ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Fell down, and worshipped him.**—The word implies simply the prostrate homage of a servant crouching before his master.
**I will pay thee all.**—The promise was, under such circumstances, an idle boast, but it describes with singular aptness the first natural impulse of one who is roused to a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. He will try to balance the account as by a series of inst...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion</strong> (σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ κύριος, <em>splanchnistheis de ho kyrios</em>)—the Greek <em>splanchnizomai</em> denotes visceral compassion, literally 'bowels moved,' indicating profound emotional mercy. This word appears repeatedly in the Gospels describing Jesus (Mt 9:36, 14:14, 15:32), revealing God's character: mercy flows from His ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Was moved with compassion.**—The teaching of the parable deals tenderly even with that impotent effort at justification. It touches the heart of the “lord of that servant,” and is met with more than it asked for—not with patience and long-suffering only, but with the pity that forgives freely. The sinner is absolved, and the vast debt which he could never pay is forgiven freely. So far as h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. pence: the Roman penny is the eighth part of an ounce, which after five shillings the ounce is seven pence halfpenny; about fourteen cents
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence</strong> (ἑκατὸν δηνάρια, <em>hekaton dēnaria</em>)—approximately 100 days' wages, roughly $15,000 today. Significant but manageable: the ratio is 600,000:1 (10,000 talents vs. 100 denarii). This staggering disproportion illustrates how any sin against us is infinitesimally small compared to...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Which owed him an hundred pence.**—Here the calculation is simpler than in Matthew 18:24. The “hundred pence” are a hundred Roman *denarii* (the *denarius* being equal to sevenpence-halfpenny), a hundred days’ wages of the labourer and soldier, enough to provide a meal for 2,500 men (John 6:7). There is a considerable truthfulness in the choice of such a sum, which has, perhaps, been too li...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all</strong>—the identical words and posture the first servant used (v. 26). This deliberate repetition heightens the tragedy: the forgiven servant heard his own plea echoed back but remained unmoved. The parallel language creates dramatic irony—readers recognize what the wicke...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Have patience with me.**—No one can fail to note the dramatic force of the utterance of the selfsame words as had been used before by the debtor, who now appears as creditor. And in this case the promise was not a vain pretence. A few weeks or months of labour would have enabled the debtor to pay what he thus owed. Man can atone for his offences as against man, though not as against God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he would not</strong> (ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν, <em>ho de ouk ēthelen</em>)—emphatic refusal. The Greek construction stresses willful rejection: 'but he kept refusing.' Not inability but hard-hearted unwillingness characterizes this servant. This decisiveness contrasts with the lord's compassion (v. 27)—one moved by visceral mercy, the other unmoved by pleading.<br><br><strong>But went and cas...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Till he should pay the debt.**—Neither the memory of his lord’s mercy, nor any touch of pity, restrains the man who broods over the memory of wrong. But the course which he takes is, it may be noted, as unwise as it is ungenerous. He, as a slave, cannot command his fellow-slave to be sold. He can cast him into prison; but in so doing he cuts the debtor off from all opportunities of gaining ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry</strong> (ἐλυπήθησαν σφόδρα, <em>elypēthēsan sphodra</em>)—the Greek indicates profound grief and distress. The fellow servants weren't merely disappointed but deeply troubled by the injustice. This public dimension is crucial: the wicked servant's hypocrisy and cruelty offended the moral sensibilities of the community. For...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **They were very sorry.**—The fellow-servants are, of course, in the inner meaning of the parable, those who are members of the same spiritual society. Our Lord appeals as by anticipation to the judgment which Christians in general, perhaps even to that which mankind at large, would pass upon such conduct. It is suggestive that He describes them, not as being angry or indignant (though such f...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Mt 18:1-9. Strife among the Twelve Who Should Be Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, with Relative Teaching. ( = Mr 9:33-50; Lu 9:46-50).
For the exposition, see on Mr 9:33-50.
Mt 18:10-35. Further Teaching on the Same Subject, Including the Parable of the Unmerciful Debtor.
Same Subject (Mt 18:10-20).
**10. Take heed that ye despise--**stumble.
**not one of these little ones; f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **Desiredst me.**—Better, *entreatedst me.* In the story of the parable, the man had not specifically asked for this. His general prayer for forbearance had been answered above all that he could ask or think.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost--**or "is lost." A golden saying, once and again repeated in different forms. Here the connection seems to be, "Since the whole object and errand of the Son of man into the world is to save the lost, take heed lest, by causing offenses, ye lose the saved." That this is the idea intended we may gather from Mt 18:14.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?</strong>—The lord's question uses the same verb family: <em>eleēsai</em> (ἐλεῆσαι, 'to have mercy') and <em>ēleēsa</em> (ἠλέησά, 'I had mercy'). The argument is proportional reciprocity: 'just as I showed you mercy, you should show mercy.' Not because he earned it or deserved continued grace, but ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **Even as I had pity on thee.**—The comparison of the two acts, the implied assumption that the pity of the one act would be after the pattern of the other, was, we may believe, designed to lead the disciples to the true meaning of the prayer they had been taught to use, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, &c.--**This is another of those pregnant sayings which our Lord uttered more than once. See on the delightful parable of the lost sheep in Lu 15:4-7. Only the object there is to show what the good Shepherd will do, when even one of His sheep is lost, to find it; here the object is to show, when found, how re...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his lord was wroth</strong> (ὀργισθεὶς ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ, <em>orgistheis ho kyrios autou</em>)—righteous anger, the Greek <em>orgizō</em> indicating justified wrath against covenant violation. The same lord previously 'moved with compassion' (v. 27) now burns with anger—not contradiction but appropriate response to abused grace. This reveals God's character: mercy to the repentant, wrath ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Delivered him to the tormentors.**—The words seem deliberately vague. We dare not say that the “tormentors” are avenging angels, or demons, though in the hell of mediæval poetry and art these latter are almost exclusively represented as the instruments of punishment. More truly, we may see in them the symbols of whatever agencies God employs in the work of righteous retribution, the stings ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, &c.--**This is another of those pregnant sayings which our Lord uttered more than once. See on the delightful parable of the lost sheep in Lu 15:4-7. Only the object there is to show what the good Shepherd will do, when even one of His sheep is lost, to find it; here the object is to show, when found, how re...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus concludes the parable by stating God will not forgive those who don't forgive from the heart. This doesn't earn salvation by works but demonstrates that genuine saving faith produces forgiveness. Reformed theology distinguishes justification (by faith alone) from sanctification (faith producing works). Unforgiveness reveals an unregenerate heart that hasn't truly experienced God's mercy. 'Fr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **My heavenly Father.**—The adjective is slightly different in form from that commonly used, suggesting rather the thought of the “Father in heaven.”
**Do also unto you.**—The words cut through the meshes of many theological systems by which men have deceived themselves. Men have trusted in the self-assurance of justification, in the absolving words of the priest, as though they were final an...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish--**How, then, can He but visit for those "offenses" which endanger the souls of these little ones?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-35**
Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deser...
Read full commentary →