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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:33 Shouldn't you also have had compassion on your fellow

In a teaching about forgiving mistakes a parable about forgiving debts.

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 18:33 οὐκ ἔδει καὶ σὲ ἐλεῆσαι τὸν σύνδουλόν σου, ὡς κἀγὼ σὲ ἠλέησα;

 

KJV Verse

Matthew 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

What His Listeners Heard:

Wasn't there a need also [for] you to show that pity of yours just as I myself showed to you pity?

Lost In Translation:

This verse uses the same words to parallel the how the servant acted and how the king acted, but these parallels are lost in translation that translates two key words differently.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

 Shouldest(CW) not thou(WF) also have had(WT) compassion on thy (MW) fellowservant, even as I (MW) had pity(CW) on thee?

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.