Matthew 18:26 (DRB)

Passage

But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to take the account, one as brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents.

Matthew 18:25 And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

Matthew 18:26 But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Matthew 18:27 And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt.

Matthew 18:28 But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servant", "falling", "down", "besought", "saying", "patience", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servant" and "falling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "And as he had not wherewith to..." into verse 27's "And the lord of that servant being...", so "servant" and "falling" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "servant" and "falling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.