Bible Strands
Matthew 5:26
Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, immediately following the warning to reconcile quickly with an adversary before facing a judge and prison. He speaks to emphasize the urgency of resolving conflict before legal proceedings begin.
The words — The phrase ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν (exelthēs ekeithen) literally means "you may come out from there," bound by ἕως (heōs) "until" to mark an absolute condition. ἀμὴν (amēn) and λέγω (legō) frame the declaration as a firm, authoritative statement.
The thread — This identical warning appears in Luke 12:59, while Matthew 18:34 parallels the imagery of imprisonment until a debt is fully repaid. The theme of inescapable penalty until satisfaction connects to 2 Thessalonians 1:9.
Why it lands — The text requires immediate action to settle disputes before consequences become fixed. It demands that readers treat reconciliation as urgent rather than postponable.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Cross-references
- Matthew 18:34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
- Luke 12:59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Luke 16:26 And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’