11:4 and forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins 1 against us.
And do not lead us into temptation.” 2
50:1 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
by which I divorced her?
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? 6
Look, you were sold because of your sins; 7
because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. 8
6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves 9 have forgiven our debtors.
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 10 18:24 As 11 he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents 12 was brought to him. 18:25 Because 13 he was not able to repay it, 14 the lord ordered him to be sold, along with 15 his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.
1 tn Grk “who is indebted to us” (an idiom). The picture of sin as debt is not unusual. As for forgiveness offered and forgiveness given, see 1 Pet 3:7.
2 tc Most
3 tn Grk “on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.” This relative clause embedded in a prepositional phrase is complex in English and has been simplified to an adjectival and a temporal clause in the translation.
4 sn Unlike the previous event, when the tower in Siloam fell on them, it was an accident of fate. It raised the question, however, “Was this a judgment?”
5 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
6 sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.
7 sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.
8 sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.
9 tn Or “as even we.” The phrase ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς (Jw" kai Jhmei") makes ἡμεῖς emphatic. The translation above adds an appropriate emphasis to the passage.
10 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
12 sn A talent was a huge sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual day’s wage for a worker. L&N 6.82 states, “a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight) with a value which fluctuated, depending upon the particular monetary system which prevailed at a particular period of time (a silver talent was worth approximately six thousand denarii with gold talents worth at least thirty times that much).”
13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
14 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
15 tn Grk “and his wife.”