Matthew 18 34

Matthew 18:34 kjv

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

Matthew 18:34 nkjv

And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

Matthew 18:34 niv

In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Matthew 18:34 esv

And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.

Matthew 18:34 nlt

Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

Matthew 18 verses

Matthew 18 34 Meaning

Matthew 18:34 concludes the parable of the unforgiving servant, illustrating the severe consequence awaiting those who receive immense mercy but refuse to extend a similar measure of forgiveness to others. The master's wrath and the servant's delivery to "tormentors" symbolize the divine judgment that falls upon the unforgiving, reflecting the principle that if we do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our Father in heaven forgive ours. The inability to "pay all that was due" emphasizes the perpetual nature of such a spiritual debt without divine grace, a state incurred by withholding mercy.

Matthew 18 34 Context

Matthew chapter 18 focuses on Christian community life, particularly themes of humility, dealing with offenses, seeking the lost, and forgiveness. Jesus begins by teaching about child-like humility for greatness in the Kingdom (18:1-4). He then addresses the grave danger of causing others to stumble (18:5-9) and the Father's care for the "little ones" (18:10-14). Following this, Jesus provides principles for church discipline (18:15-20), leading into Peter's question about how many times to forgive a brother (18:21). Jesus responds with the "seventy times seven" instruction, immediately followed by the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (18:23-35). Verse 34 is the direct outcome in the parable, and verse 35 provides its overarching interpretation, making clear that the lord's wrath in verse 34 mirrors God's judgment if believers do not forgive. The cultural context includes common Roman and Jewish practices of debt imprisonment, though the immense sums in the parable make it clear it's a hyperbolic illustration, highlighting the disproportionate spiritual debt humanity owes God compared to debts among humans.

Matthew 18 34 Word analysis

• And (Καὶ - Kai): A simple conjunction, yet here it connects the servant's actions (his unforgiveness) directly to the master's immediate and wrathful response, signaling cause and effect.
• his lord (ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ - ho kyrios autou): "Kyrios" signifies master, owner, or lord. In the parable, it represents God, the ultimate authority and source of infinite mercy. The phrase underscores the master's position of absolute power and the servant's complete indebtedness and dependence.
• was wroth (ὀργισθείς - orgistheis): A participle from "orgizomai," meaning "to be angry" or "to become enraged." This describes divine anger, not a capricious human outburst, but a righteous indignation against injustice and ingratitude. It's a severe and just reaction to the servant's hardened heart, who received immense grace but refused to show minimal mercy.
• and delivered him (καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτόν - kai paredōken auton): "Paredōken" is from "paradidōmi," meaning "to hand over," "deliver up," or "betray." It is a potent word, often used in the New Testament for handing someone over to judgment or punishment (e.g., Jesus delivered to Pilate, Judas betraying Jesus). Here, it signifies a formal act of handing over to an authority for the execution of sentence, underscoring the legal and divine nature of the impending judgment.
• to the tormentors (τοῖς βασανισταῖς - tois basanistais): "Basanistais" comes from "basanistes," meaning "torturer" or "jailer." In the ancient world, jailers sometimes used severe methods to extract payment from debtors or to force families to pay on behalf of the imprisoned. Spiritually, this word is deeply significant. It refers to a state of suffering or misery. It often carries the implication of unceasing, grievous distress. This is not simply a typical jail, but a place designed to inflict severe hardship or pain, suggesting the dire consequences of unforgiveness.
• till he should pay (ἕως οὗ ἀποδῷ - heōs hou apodō): "Heōs hou" means "until," and "apodō" means "he pays back" or "repays." This phrase, especially combined with the impossible amount of the debt, indicates a period that will never end for the servant. The initial debt was astronomically large (ten thousand talents), representing an unpayable spiritual debt owed to God. Since humans cannot "pay" for their sins in the sight of God without divine intervention (like Christ's sacrifice), "till he should pay" implies an eternal state of accountability for unredeemed unforgiveness.
• all that was due unto him (πᾶν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον αὐτῷ - pan to opheilomenon autō): "Pan" (all), "to opheilomenon" (that which is owed). This emphasizes the full extent of the original, immeasurable debt to the lord. Because the servant chose unforgiveness, he forfeited the mercy previously granted and reactivated the claim on the entire, overwhelming original debt, which he could never repay on his own.

Words-group analysis:

• "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him": This phrase connects righteous indignation ("wroth") with a definitive judicial act ("delivered him"). It conveys the swift and severe nature of the consequence, emphasizing that God's grace, once rejected by hardened hearts, gives way to just recompense.
• "to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him": This climactic clause depicts a state of ongoing and inescapable suffering. The "tormentors" (symbolic of instruments or experiences of divine justice, often associated with spiritual anguish) and the "till he should pay" (implying an unpayable, eternal debt) together powerfully illustrate the consequence for those who receive vast divine mercy but refuse to show even minimal mercy to their fellow humans. It points to an inescapable spiritual plight.

Matthew 18 34 Bonus section

The parabolic nature of Matthew 18:34 means it's not simply a literal account of human debt, but a spiritual analogy. The "ten thousand talents" represented an unfathomable sum, equivalent to billions in modern currency, emphasizing that humanity's debt of sin to God is beyond any human capacity to repay. Conversely, the "hundred denarii" (a relatively small sum, perhaps a few months' wages) highlights the petty nature of offenses among humans compared to our offenses against a holy God. This hyperbole serves to underscore the magnitude of God's forgiveness and the audacity of the unforgiving servant's refusal to reciprocate that grace on a much smaller scale. The master's delivering the servant to the tormentors can be seen as an image of the internal suffering and external consequences of an unforgiven life, a life cut off from God's restorative grace because of a hardened heart. It teaches that the lack of forgiveness essentially traps the unforgiving individual in their own spiritual prison. The parables are often kingdom teachings, so this judgment relates to a condition of the heart that makes one unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven if not truly repentant.

Matthew 18 34 Commentary

Matthew 18:34 acts as a solemn warning within Jesus' teaching on forgiveness. Having been shown an incalculable sum of mercy (the ten thousand talents representing our immense sin debt to God), the servant's failure to extend a minuscule portion of that same mercy (the one hundred denarii owed by his fellow servant) leads to the revocation of his pardon. The master's righteous anger underscores God's deep displeasure with unmerciful hearts. To be "delivered to the tormentors" speaks not just of literal imprisonment but of being handed over to the inevitable and painful consequences of an unforgiving spirit—spiritual bondage, separation from grace, and the experience of one's own hardened heart. The phrase "till he should pay all that was due unto him" indicates an impossible condition for a finite being, signifying a state of perpetual accountability. This isn't about God desiring to punish eternally for a single lapse, but demonstrating that true forgiveness must translate into transformed living and interaction, echoing His character. Without mirroring God's mercy towards others, one fails to grasp the depth of divine forgiveness and remains ensnared by sin's unpaid debt, unable to escape the painful results of spiritual debt and lack of true repentance.

• Example 1: A believer, after confessing a major sin and experiencing God's profound forgiveness, holds a bitter grudge against someone who offended them trivially, refusing to speak or reconcile. This parallels the servant's actions.
• Example 2: A church leader, having benefited immensely from God's grace in their life, consistently criticizes and condemns others within the congregation for minor missteps without extending understanding or grace.
• Example 3: Someone continuously prays for God's forgiveness but harbors resentment for years towards a family member, effectively building an invisible prison of their own bitterness.