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Mat 18:24. Ἀρξαμένου, when He had begun) Before the servant knew what was the condition[838] of his fellow-servants.-εἶς προσηνέχθη Αὐτῷ, there was brought unto Him) though against his will.-εἶς, one) sc. a servant, who owed, etc. How great must be the debts of all, if that of one is so great! Every one ought to consider himself as that one; cf. Mat 18:35; Mat 18:12, ch. Mat 20:13; for the condition[839] of all is equal.-μυρίων ταλάντων, of ten thousand talents[840]) The Greek language cannot express by two words, as a distinct and continuous quantity, a larger sum than this. If we ought to remit an hundred denarii to our brother, i.e. forgive him seventy-seven times, what a vast amount of sins does the Lord forgive us in remitting ten thousand talents! A talent contains about six thousand denarii; therefore a thousand talents contain sixty million denarii, of which how small a part are one hundred denarii! For six denarii make a florin, and nine denarii an imperial dollar, or not much more; one Hebrew talent, or two Attic ones, are two thousand two hundred and fifty florins.[841]
[838] “Ratio,” lit. reckoning-i.e. what was the state of their balance or deficit in the debtor and creditor account with their Lord.-(I. B.)
[839] “Ratio.” See preceding footnote.-(I. B.)
[840] The Jewish talent was about £342, 3s. 9d. The talent of gold was worth about £5475.-(I. B.)
[841] There thus results a sum of 15,000,000 thalers, or 22,500,000 florins. If even one servant can become liable for such a debt-and Peter, as also the other Apostles, ought to have considered that servant as a type, each one of himself-what will not the load amount to, which is made up of the accumulated debts remitted by the Lord to the whole collective body of those who obtain grace? And still more of those sins which must be atoned for in the place of torture by those who are the vast majority, whose debt is not remitted in any measure.-V. g.