Matthew 5:26

26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. ^[a]

Matthew 5:26 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 5:26

Verily, I say unto thee
This may be depended upon, you may assure yourself of it, that

thou shalt by no means come out thence,
from prison,

till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing,
or "last farthing"; or as the Ethiopic version reads it, "till thou hast exactly paid all"; which seems to express the inexorableness of the creditor, and the impossibility of the debtor's release.

Matthew 5:26 In-Context

24 leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

27 You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’

28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Footnotes

• [a] Greek kodrantēn; that is, a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius