16
242
u ae only * ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά.
24). 4
v here an
inCh.xxv. δούλων αὐτοῦ. Ig (same const.).
w here and
αὐτῷ εἲς 3 ὀφειλέτης µυρίων
43. Διὰ τοῦτο ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὃς ἠθέλησε “ συνᾶραι λόγον μετὰ τῶν 24. ἀρξαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν, προσηνέχθη } ταλάντων.
25. μὴ ἔχοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ
inCh.xxv. ἀποδοῦναι, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ δ πραθῆναι, καὶ τὴν
15. bas αν > ~4 x Lk. xviii, γυναικα QUTOU σ. 1 Cor. Kili. 4.
καὶ τὰ τέκνα, καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἶχε ὃ καὶ ἀποδοθῆναι. 26. πεσὼν οὖν ὁ δοῦλος προσεκύνει αὐτῷ, λέγων, Kupte,® * µακρο-
Jamesv.7. θύμησον ἐπ᾽ ἐμοί,ῖ καὶ πάντα σοιὃ ἀποδώσω. 27. σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ
1 προσηχθη in BD (W.H.); as in T. R., SLA al. (Tisch.)
2 ug αντω in 398 (Tisch., W.H.).
3 NQBDL omit αυτον.
4%8B omit this αυτον also (Tisch., W.H.).
5 B has εχει, which, just ybecause of its singularity as a present among preterites, is to be preferred to ειχε, though found in most uncials.
5 BD omit. 7 DL have em’ ewe.
the end of the second word rather than at end of first: either ἑπτὰ καὶ ἕβδο .. . κις, or €BSop . . . τα ἑπτάκις.
Vv. 23-35. Parable of unmerciful ser- vant.—Ver. 23. διὰ τοῦτο suggests that the aim of the parable is to justify the apparently unreasonable demand in ver. 22: unlimited forgiveness of in- juries. After all, says Jesus, suppose ye comply with the demand, what do your remissions amount to compared to what has been remitted to you by God? ---ἀνθρώπῳ Baciket: a man, a king; king an afterthought demanded by the nature of the case. Only a great monarch can have such debtors, and opportunity to forgive such debts.— συνᾶραι λόγον (found again in xxv. 19), to hold a reckoning.—8ovAwyv: all alike servants or slaves in relation to the king. So human distinctions are dwarfed into insignificance by the dis- tance between all men and God.—Ver. 24. εἷς: one stood out above all the rest for the magnitude of his debt, who, therefore, becomes the subject of the story.—devhérns µ. τε: a debtor of, or to the extent of, a thousand talents—an immense sum, say millions sterling ; payment hopeless; that the point ; exact calculations idle or pedantic. It may seem to violate natural probability that time was allowed to incur such a debt, which speaks to malversation for years. But the indolence of an Eastern monarch must be taken into account, and the absence of system in the management of finance. As Koetsveld (De Gelik., p. 286) remarks: ‘A regular control is not in the spirit of the Eastern. He trusts utterly when he does trust, and
8 go.after αποδωσω in NBL.
when he loses confidence it is for ever.” —Ver. 25. Ἠπραθῆναι . .. ἔχει: the order is given that the debtor be sold, with all he has, including his wife and childven; hard lines, but according to ancient law, in the view of which wife and children were simply property. Think of their fate in those barbarous times! But parables are not scrupulous on the score of morality—«at ἀποδο- θῆναι: the proceeds of sale to be applied in payment of the debt.—Ver. 26. µακ- Ρροθύµησον: a Hellenistic word, some- times used in the sense of deferring anger (Prov. xix. 11 (Sept.), the corre- spending adjective in Ps, Ixxxvi. 15; cf. I Cor. xiii. 4; 1 Thess. ν. 14). That sense is suitable here, but the prominent idea is: give me time; wrath comes in at a later stage (νετ. 34).- πάντα ἀποδώσω: easy to promise; his plea: better wait and get all than take hasty measures and get only a part.—Ver. 27. σπλαγ- χνισθεὶς : touched with pity, not un- mixed perhaps with contempt, and asso- ciated possibly with rapid reflection as to the best course, the king decides on a magnanimous policy.—améAvoev, τὸ δάνειον ἀφῆκεν: two benefits conferred ; set free from imprisonment, debt abso- lutely cancelled, not merely time given for payment. A third benefit implied, continuance in office. The policy adopted in hope that it will ensure good be- haviour in time to come (Ps. cxxx. 4); perfectly credible even in an Eastern monarch.