Luke 7:41 Meaning and Explanation
“There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus tells of a moneylender with two debtors, one owing five hundred denarii, the other fifty.
What Does Luke 7:41 Mean?
The parable is a single sentence of setup: a creditor, two debtors, two sums. A "penny" here is the denarius, a laborer's full day's wage — so one man owes nearly two years of work, the other under two months. Both debts are real; one is crushing.
Jesus quietly maps the table: a woman whose sins are many, a host whose sins seem few, and one creditor to whom both accounts are owed. The debts differ in size, not in kind — and as the next verse will say, neither debtor has anything to pay. Whatever the figure on the ledger, insolvency is the shared condition. This is where the parable begins leveling the room.
Luke 7:41 in the Original Language
denarion (δηνάριον), 'pence' -- a denarius, about a day's wage for a laborer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 7:41
What does Luke 7:41 mean?
Jesus tells of a moneylender with two debtors, one owing five hundred denarii, the other fifty.