Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 18:26
The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
26. worshipped him ] The imperfect tense in the original denotes persistence.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him – This does not mean that he paid him religious homage, but that in a humble, reverent, and earnest manner he entreated him to have patience with him. He prostrated himself before his lord, as is customary in all Eastern nations when subjects are in the presence of their king. See the notes at Mat 2:2.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 26. Fell down and worshipped him] , crouched as a dog before him, with the greatest deference, submission, and anxiety.
Have patience with me] ‘ , be long-minded towards me – give me longer space.
The means which a sinner should use to be saved, are,
1. Deep humiliation of heart – he fell down.
2. Fervent prayer.
3. Confidence in the mercy of God – have patience.
4. A firm purpose to devote his soul and body to his Maker – I will pay thee all.
A sinner may be said, according to the economy of grace, to pay all, when he brings the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus to the throne of justice, by faith; thus offering an equivalent for the pardon he seeks, and paying all he owes to Divine justice, by presenting the blood of the Lamb.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
26. The servant therefore fell down,and worshipped himor did humble obeisance to him.
saying, Lord, have patiencewith me, and I will pay thee allThis was just anacknowledgment of the justice of the claim made against him, and apiteous imploration of mercy.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The servant therefore fell down,…. At his feet, upon his knees, or on his face, to the ground; not being able to stand before him, or look him in the face, and much less to answer the demands of his law and justice; but owned the debt, and his present inability to pay,
and worshipped him: the Vulgate Latin reads it, “prayed”, or entreated him,
saying, Lord have patience with me; give me but time, spare me a little longer, send me not to prison, and I will pay thee all: a very weak and foolish promise, but what is usual for men in such circumstances to make. Thus men, under guilt, and dreadful apprehensions of wrath and ruin, frequently promise, that if their lives are but spared, what they will do for God, and in a religious way; and very foolishly and ignorantly imagine, that by their humiliation and tears, their prayers and other services by their good lives and conversations, for the future, they shall be able to make compensation to God for all the iniquities they have been guilty of: which shows them to be exceeding ignorant of the nature of sin, which is committed against an infinite being, and therefore reconciliation for it cannot be made by finite creature; as also of the nature of their duties and services, which, when performed, in ever so good a manner, can never make satisfaction for past offences, these being duties they are obliged to perform; and would have been equally obliged thereunto if they had never offended; and likewise betrays great vanity, pride, boasting, and conceit of themselves, and abilities, as that they shall be able, in a little time to pay all, when they have nothing at all to pay with: and was patience to be exercised towards them ever so long, they would still be in the same condition, and in no better capacity to make payment; but, on the contrary, would still run a larger score, and be more and more in debt. Indeed, the patience and longsuffering of God to his people is salvation; not that by giving them time, and bearing with them, they discharge their debts, and work out their salvation; but waiting upon them to be gracious to them, he brings them to repentance, to a sense of themselves and sins, and to an acknowledgment of them, and leads them, by faith, to his Son for righteousness, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life; but as for others, his patience towards them, and forbearance of them, issue in their everlasting destruction, which, by their iniquities, they are fitted for.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(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 instalments; he will score righteous acts in the future as a set-off against the transgressions of the past. In theological language, he seeks to be justified by works.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Pay thee all Man can pay God nothing. Yet, through Christ, he accepts our surrender of all, and forgives. See Mat 18:34.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ ”
Being faced up to his debt the servant was ‘repentant’. He offered that somehow if only his lord was merciful he would, given time, find some means eventually of repaying the whole debt (‘all’). Many see God like this. They see Him as requiring them to earn forgiveness by a lifetime of devotion (and as we have seen that would not be sufficient anyway). But Jesus’ point is that God is in fact not like that. He is a God Who forgives freely. All in fact knew in their hearts that this servant would never be able to pay off such a huge debt. His only hope was total and free forgiveness.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Ver. 26. The servant therefore fell down ] This was the ready way to disarm his master’s indignation, and procure his own peace, viz., to submit to justice and implore mercy. Thus Abigail pacified David; the prodigal, his father; nay, Benhadad, Ahab, that non-such, as the Scripture describes him. The very Turks at this day, though remorseless to those that bear up, yet receive humiliation with much sweetness. Humble yourselves under God’s great hand, saith St James, and he will lift you up, Jas 4:10 . The Lion of Judah rends not the prostrate prey.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
26. ] Luther explains this as the voice of mistaken self-righteousness, which when bitten by sense of sin and terrified with the idea of punishment, runs hither and thither, seeking help, and imagines it can build up a righteousness before God without having yet any idea that God Himself will help the sinner. Trench remarks, “It seems simpler to see in the words nothing more than exclamations characteristic of the extreme fear and anguish of the moment, which made him ready to promise impossible things, even mountains of gold.” p. 127.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 18:26 . : a Hellenistic word, sometimes used in the sense of deferring anger (Pro 19:11 (Sept [106] ), the corresponding adjective in Psa 86:15 ; cf. 1Co 13:4 ; 1Th 5:14 ). That sense is suitable here, but the prominent idea is: give me time; wrath comes in at a later stage (Mat 18:34 ). : easy to promise ; his plea: better wait and get all than take hasty measures and get only a part.
[106] Septuagint.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
worshipped = did homage. See App-134and App-137:1.
with. Greek. epi. App-104. (Tr. reads 3).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
26.] Luther explains this as the voice of mistaken self-righteousness, which when bitten by sense of sin and terrified with the idea of punishment, runs hither and thither, seeking help, and imagines it can build up a righteousness before God without having yet any idea that God Himself will help the sinner. Trench remarks, It seems simpler to see in the words nothing more than exclamations characteristic of the extreme fear and anguish of the moment, which made him ready to promise impossible things, even mountains of gold. p. 127.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 18:26. , have patience) Do not act hastily towards me.-, all) The servant could not procure so large a sum in the whole period of the worlds existence; he merely exhibits, therefore, his contrition.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
worshipped him: or, besought him
have: Mat 18:29, Luk 7:43, Rom 10:3
Reciprocal: Jdg 9:7 – Hearken Mat 8:2 – worshipped Luk 7:42 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8:26
The servant worshiped his lord by falling down and humbly asking for mercy. See the long note at chapter 2:2 for the various meanings of that word.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 18:26. I will pay thee all. In fear and terror he makes a promise he could not fulfil. The special application is to one convicted of sin and fearing Gods wrath, promising a self-righteous obedience, which he hopes will in some way be a payment in full.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 26
Worshipped him; prostrated himself before him in token of submission and entreaty.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and {n} worshipped him, saying, Lord, {o} have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
(n) This was a polite reverence which was very common in the East.
(o) Yield not too much to your anger against me: so is God called in the Scripture, slow to anger, that is to say, gentle, and one that refrains his fierce wrath, Psa 86:5 ; patient and of great mercy.