The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke12:57–59

Reconciling with an Adversary

✦ Public-domain source — quoted & attributed⚙ AI synthesis — generated, verify

Luke 12:57–59 — Reconciling with an Adversary. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

57

And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de kai Ti ou krinete aph’ heautōn to dikaion

Word by word9 · parsed
δὲdevvvG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
kai: and, even Ascensive here: “even.” It ties this question to the weather-reading of v. 56.
ΤίTiwhyG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
tis: who, what, why The accusative neuter used adverbially: “why?” A real question that is also a rebuke.
οὐoudon’tG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
κρίνετεkrineteyou judgeG2919
√ κρίνω — by implication, to try, condemn, punishVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
krinō: to judge, decide, condemn Present active indicative, 2nd plural, addressed to the crowds (v. 54). The verb that runs through Luke's courtroom language: the hearers are asked to judge their own case now, because v. 58 introduces a κριτής who will judge it later. James 4:12 pairs the same two words (Verifier: G2919 with G2923): there is one lawgiver and judge.
ἀφ’aph’forG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ἑαυτῶνheautōnyourselvesG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
heautou: oneself Genitive plural reflexive after apo: “from yourselves.” JFB: He sends them “to their own conscience, as enough to show them who He was.”
τὸtowhat [is]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
δίκαιονdikaionrightG1342
√ δίκαιος — equitable (in character or act)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
dikaios: just, righteous Neuter singular with the article: “the just thing,” the right verdict. Gill notes the Syriac and Persic render it “truth.” In Luke the same word marks Simeon (2:25) and Joseph of Arimathea (23:50); here it names the verdict an honest hearer would reach about his standing before God.
58

Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

dos ergasian apēllachthai ap’ autou sou tou antidikou gar hōs meta hypageis en tē hodō ep’ archonta mē pote katasyrē se pros ton kritēn kai ho kritēs paradōsei se tō praktori kai ho praktōr balei se eis phylakēn

Word by word38 · parsed
δὸςdosMakeG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
didōmi: to give Aorist imperative, 2nd singular: a single decisive act is demanded. Note the shift from the plural of v. 57 to the singular: the crowd is now addressed one by one.
ἐργασίανergasianevery effortG2039
√ ἐργασία — occupationNounAccusative Feminine Singular
ergasia: work, business, gain A rare noun (Verifier: in 6 vv), elsewhere the profit of trade (Acts 16:16, 19; 19:24 to 25) and the greedy “practice” of Ephesians 4:19. Here the idiom “give work” means: take pains, do the business of settling.
ἀπηλλάχθαιapēllachthaito reconcileG525
√ ἀπαλλάσσω — to change away, iVerbPerfect Infinitive Middle or Passive
apallassō: to release, set free Perfect infinitive, middle or passive: “to have been released (and stay released).” A rare verb (Verifier: in 3 vv). Its only other NT uses: diseases leaving the sick (Acts 19:12) and Christ delivering “those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:15). The release the debtor must secure on the road is, in Hebrews, the release Christ effects.
ἀπ’ap’withG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
αὐτοῦautouG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀντιδίκουantidikouadversaryG476
√ ἀντίδικος — an opponent (in a lawsuit)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
antidikos: opponent in a lawsuit A legal plaintiff, not a personal enemy. Rare (Verifier: in 4 vv): it names the widow's opponent in Luke 18:3 and the devil as accuser in 1 Peter 5:8. Who the adversary is in the parable's application is debated: Ellicott says the Law (John 5:45); Cambridge, quoting Godet, says God Himself.
γὰρgarG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: for Gives the reason for v. 57; omitted by BSB and KJV.
ὡςhōswhileG5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
μετὰmetavvvG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
ὑπάγειςhypageisyou are on your wayG5217
√ ὑπάγω — to lead (oneself) under, iVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
hypagō: to go away, go on Present indicative: “while you are going.” The present marks the open window. Henry: “While we are alive, we are in the way, and now is our time.”
ἐνen. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtē. . .G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ὁδῷhodō. . .G3598
√ ὁδός — a roadNounDative Feminine Singular
hodos: road, way “On the road”: the interval between summons and verdict. The whole parable hangs on this space of time.
ἐπ’ep’toG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἄρχονταarchonta[the] magistrateG758
√ ἄρχων — a first (in rank or power)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
archōn: ruler, magistrate Gill identifies him with the Nasi, the president of the Sanhedrin; the point is simply the court of first appeal.
μή‿mēOtherwiseG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ποτεpote. . .G4219
√ πότε — interrogative adverb, at what timeConjunction
κατασύρῃkatasyrēhe may drag you offG2694
√ κατασύρω — to drag down, iVerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
katasyrō: to drag down, drag away Present subjunctive after mē pote (“lest ever”). A vivid verb, found only here in the NT: being hauled by force, as Benson says, “brought by force to the bar.”
σεse. . .G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
κριτήνkritēnjudgeG2923
√ κριτής — a judge (genitive case or specially)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
kritēs: judge The noun of v. 57's verb krinō. Shared with Matthew 5:25 (Verifier: in 17 vv). The ones who would not judge are brought to the Judge; 2 Timothy 4:8 names the Lord as “the righteous Judge” with the same words (G1342 + G2923).
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κριτήςkritēsjudgeG2923
√ κριτής — a judge (genitive case or specially)NounNominative Masculine Singular
παραδώσειparadōseimay handG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
paradidōmi: to hand over Future indicative after a subjunctive: the sequence hardens from possibility (“lest he drag”) into certainty (“will hand over”). The same verb is used of Jesus being handed over (Luke 9:44; 24:7).
σεseyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
τῷtōover to theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
πράκτοριpraktoriofficerG4233
√ πράκτωρ — a practiser, iNounDative Masculine Singular
praktōr: exactor, collector The officer who enforces payment. Gill notes the LXX of Isaiah 3:12 uses it for an “oppressor.” Godet (in Cambridge) reads the three figures as God's holiness, justice and power.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
πράκτωρpraktōrofficerG4233
√ πράκτωρ — a practiser, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
βαλεῖbaleimay throwG906
√ βάλλω — to throw (in various applications, more or less violent or intense)VerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ballō: to throw Future indicative: “will throw.” The chain ends in confinement, with no further appeal.
σεseyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
φυλακήνphylakēnprisonG5438
√ φυλακή — a guarding or (concretely, guard), the act, the personNounAccusative Feminine Singular
phylakē: guard, prison The place of custody. The parable's prison is for debtors: one is held until payment, which drives v. 59.
59

I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

legō soi ou mē exelthēs ekeithen heōs apodōs to kai eschaton lepton

Word by word12 · parsed
λέγωlegōI tellG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
legō: to say “I tell you”: Jesus' own authority seals the parable's conclusion. Gill notes the Syriac adds “Amen,” likely from Matthew 5:26.
σοιsoiyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
sy: you Singular, continuing the personal address of v. 58.
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
mē: not With ou: emphatic double negation.
ἐξέλθῃςexelthēsyou will not get outG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
exerchomai: to go out Aorist subjunctive in the ou mē construction: an absolute denial of release, set against v. 58's apallassō. The release not sought on the road is refused in the prison.
ἐκεῖθενekeithen. . .G1564
√ ἐκεῖθεν — thenceAdverb
ekeithen: from there From the prison.
ἕωςheōsuntilG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Conjunction
heōs: until The word on which purgatory and universalist readings have leaned. Poole answers that “until” does not by itself imply a later release (compare Psalm 110:1; Matthew 1:25); Pulpit and Cambridge both refuse to build doctrine on it. Inside the parable, a debtor's prison holds until payment; whether such payment is possible is the question the parable leaves open.
ἀποδῷςapodōsyou have paidG591
√ ἀποδίδωμι — to give away, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
apodidōmi: to give back, repay Aorist subjunctive: “until you have paid back.” The verb of rendering what is owed; 2 Timothy 4:8 uses it for the Lord, the righteous Judge, who will “award” the crown (Verifier: G591 with G2923 and G1342). The same Judge either requires the debt or gives the reward.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
καὶkaiveryG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔσχατονeschatonlastG2078
√ ἔσχατος — farthest, final (of place or time)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
eschatos: last, final Accusative neuter: “the last one.” The language of finality: nothing is left over.
λεπτὸνleptonpennyG3016
√ λεπτόν — something scaled (light), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
lepton: small coin Very rare (Verifier: in 3 vv): elsewhere only the two lepta the poor widow gave, “all she had to live on” (Mark 12:42; Luke 21:2). Gill identifies it with the rabbinic prutah. The smallest coin makes the demand total: justice that will not round down.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The verdict you can reach yourselves — Luke 12:57

Jesus has just told the crowds they can read the sky but not “this present time” (v. 56). Now he asks why, ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν, “from yourselves,” they do not κρίνετε τὸ δίκαιον, judge the just thing. Ellicott insists the problem is not ignorance: “they did not act upon their knowledge.” JFB says Jesus “sends them to their own conscience”; Cambridge glosses “what is right” as “what is your duty to do under circumstances so imminent.” Gill holds two senses together (discerning the Messiah's time, and settling a plain case without going to law) and notes that the next words incline to the second. ⚙ The two belong together: the crowd who will not judge its own case is about to meet a κριτής.

ii. On the road: the chain of the court — Luke 12:58

The connecting γὰρ (“for”), dropped by most English versions and restored by Ellicott and Cambridge, makes the parable the reason for v. 57. The address turns singular. While “you are going” (ὑπάγεις, present) “on the road” (ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ), you must “give effort” (δὸς ἐργασίαν, Cambridge: the Latin da operam) to be released (ἀπηλλάχθαι, perfect) from the plaintiff (ἀντίδικος). Otherwise the sequence runs on without a break: drag, judge, hand over, exactor (πράκτωρ), prison. The verbs move from subjunctive (“lest he drag”) to future (“will hand over,” “will throw”): possibility becomes certainty once the road ends. Cambridge reads the parable plainly: “Even so must you act towards God,” and cites Godet that God is “at once the adversary, the judge, and the officer.” Ellicott instead names the adversary as the Law that accuses (John 5:45). Benson applies it to impenitence while “the day of life and grace continues.” Poole and Barnes point back to Matthew 5:25 to 26, where the same figure urges peace between brothers; JFB stresses “the necessity, for their own safety, of immediate decision.”

iii. The last lepton — Luke 12:59

“I tell you” seals it with an οὐ μὴ: by no means will you come out until you repay (ἀποδῷς) even the last λεπτόν. Ellicott notes Luke's coin is smaller than Matthew's “farthing”; Gill equates it with the rabbinic prutah. The word “until” has been pressed both ways. Poole, writing against purgatory, answers that “until” does not settle a future time (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 1:25). The Pulpit Commentary rejects both purgatory and the universalist hope, saying the words “utterly exclude any payment of the debt of the soul by others” in the parable's frame. Cambridge holds the line most carefully: the parable does not answer whether the debt can be paid, but if no one can pay his own debt to God, “we are at least permitted to find hope in the thought that Christ has paid our debt for us.” Henry turns it into an invitation: “While we are alive, we are in the way, and now is our time.”

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read with Scripture as its own interpreter, this short parable does three things. First, it puts the burden of judgment on the hearer: the plural krinete of v. 57 says the right verdict on our standing before God is within reach of an honest conscience (compare Romans 2:15). Second, it puts the weight on time: “on the road” is the only place where settlement is possible, and the verbs harden from subjunctive to future once the road ends; this matches the urgent “now” of Isaiah 55:6, Psalm 32:6 and 2 Corinthians 6:2. Third, it states justice without discount: the debt is owed to the last lepton, and the parable offers no other payer.

⚙ The parable itself does not name the adversary, and the sources disagree (Ellicott: the Law; Cambridge with Godet, Benson: God). We should hold that loosely, as Cambridge warns against pressing details. What the wider canon adds, and this verse does not itself say, is that the debt we cannot pay has been paid by another (Mark 10:45; Colossians 2:14), and that the release (apallassō) the debtor needs on the road is the release Christ gives (Hebrews 2:15). This reading excludes any notion that the prison is a place of purgation; the text speaks of exacted debt, not of cleansing. Test this against the text.

Settle the case on the road: the courtroom has no road back.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The same saying in the Sermon on the Mount verbal / quotation: confirmed

Matthew 5:25 to 26 gives the same figure of adversary, judge, officer, prison and last coin. The Verifier finds shared lexemes κριτής (judge), πότε and βάλλω in 5:25, and ἔσχατος, ἐκεῖθεν, ἀποδίδωμι in 5:26. The settings differ: Matthew places it under “You shall not murder” as reconciliation with a brother; Luke puts it after the signs of the times as settlement with God (Poole, Ellicott, Cambridge all note this). Luke's πράκτωρ and λεπτόν are not shared with Matthew, which uses a different officer and the larger quadrans (Ellicott).

Matthew 5:25 · Matthew 5:26

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G2923 κριτής (in 17 vv), G4219 πότε (in 40 vv), G906 βάλλω (in 107 vv) with Matt 5:25; G2078 ἔσχατος (48 vv), G1564 ἐκεῖθεν (27 vv), G591 ἀποδίδωμι (46 vv) with Matt 5:26. Synoptic parallel of one saying, not a quotation of one gospel by another.

The last lepton and the widow's two lepta verbal / quotation: confirmed

The word λεπτόν appears elsewhere only for the poor widow's offering (Mark 12:42; Luke 21:2). ⚙ The contrast is sharp: the widow freely gives her last lepta, “all she had to live on,” while the debtor here is held until he pays back the last lepton. One is a gift, the other a debt that is exacted. Gill and Ellicott both point from this verse to Mark 12:42 for the coin itself. The theological contrast is the tool's own observation, not a claim made by the sources.

Mark 12:42 · Luke 21:2

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G3016 λεπτόν (in 3 vv); the thematic contrast is ⚙ synthesis

Released: from the courtroom to the fear of death verbal / quotation: confirmed

The verb ἀπαλλάσσω, “to be released from,” occurs in only three verses: here, Acts 19:12 (diseases leaving the sick), and Hebrews 2:15, where the Son through death will “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” ⚙ In Luke the debtor must get himself released before the verdict; in Hebrews the release is Christ's work for those already held. The shared word is real; whether Luke's parable anticipates Hebrews is the tool's reading, offered for testing.

Hebrews 2:15 · Acts 19:12

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G525 ἀπαλλάσσω (in 3 vv); a real word link, no claim of literary dependence

Who is the adversary? flagged: verify source

The word ἀντίδικος (legal opponent) is rare: Luke 18:3 (the widow's opponent before the unjust judge) and 1 Peter 5:8 (“your adversary the devil”). The sources disagree on who the adversary stands for in this parable. Ellicott identifies the adversary with the Law that accuses them (John 5:45). Cambridge, quoting Godet: God “by His holiness.” Benson: the blessed God, if He is “still an adversary to us.” ⚙ The 1 Peter use (the accuser) should not be read back into the parable, where the plaintiff's claim is just. Because the identification is interpretive and the sources differ, this link is flagged.

Luke 18:3 · 1 Peter 5:8 · John 5:45

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G476 ἀντίδικος (in 4 vv) with Luke 18:3 and 1 Peter 5:8, but the identity of the adversary in the parable's application is contested among the sources (Ellicott: Law; Cambridge/Godet and Benson: God)

Seek the LORD while He may be found structural / thematic: confirmed

Cambridge sums up the lesson with Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,” together with Psalm 32:6 and Hebrews 4:7. ⚙ The link is structural: the parable's “on the road” matches the prophetic “while He may be found” and the Psalm's “while You may be found.” This is a Greek and Hebrew comparison, so Strong's numbers cannot be shared; it is a match of pattern and urgency, not a verbal link.

Isaiah 55:6 · Psalm 32:6 · Hebrews 4:7

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek and Hebrew): no shared Strong's possible; shared motif of a limited time for seeking God, cited by Cambridge on v. 59

The judge you would not be, the Judge you will meet structural / thematic: confirmed

Verse 57's κρίνετε and v. 58's κριτής come together in James 4:12 (“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge”) and Hebrews 12:23 (“God the judge of all”). 2 Timothy 4:8 adds δίκαιος and ἀποδίδωμι: “the righteous Judge will award” the crown. ⚙ The same three words that close Luke's parable in debt open Paul's in reward.

James 4:12 · Hebrews 12:23 · 2 Timothy 4:8

basis: Verifier: shared lexemes G2919 κρίνω (98 vv) + G2923 κριτής (17 vv) with James 4:12; G1342 δίκαιος (74 vv) + G2923 with Heb 12:23; G1342 + G2923 + G591 ἀποδίδωμι (46 vv) with 2 Tim 4:8. Common words in a shared judicial motif, not a quotation

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The debt paid by another ancient/widely-held

⚙ The parable allows no discount: the last lepton must be paid. Cambridge draws the gospel conclusion carefully from outside the parable: if no one can pay his debt to God, “Christ has paid our debt for us,” citing Matthew 20:28 (the Son of Man gives His life “a ransom for many”) and 1 Timothy 2:6. Benson likewise asks how anyone could pay “this debt of ten thousand talents.” Colossians 2:14 says the record of debt was cancelled and nailed to the cross. The demand of v. 59 is not set aside; it is met.

Matthew 20:28 · 1 Timothy 2:6 · Colossians 2:14

God in Christ reconciling, while we are on the road ancient/widely-held

Henry reads the parable directly through 2 Corinthians 5:19: “let him apply to him as God in Christ reconciling the world to himself. While we are alive, we are in the way, and now is our time.” Paul's own appeal, “Be reconciled to God... now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 5:20; 6:2), carries the same urgency. ⚙ Note that Paul's verb is katallassō, not Luke's apallassō; the link is in theology and urgency, not in vocabulary. The Verifier's only other uses of apallassō include Hebrews 2:15, where Christ is the one who releases.

2 Corinthians 5:19 · 2 Corinthians 5:20 · Hebrews 2:15

The Judge on the road is the one speaking novel

⚙ The speaker of the parable is the one to whom the Father has given all judgment (John 5:22) and through whom God will judge the world (Acts 17:31). The crowd is “on the road” with the Judge Himself, and He warns them before the verdict. The same verb παραδίδωμι that hands the debtor to the exactor is used in Luke of the Son of Man being handed over (Luke 9:44; 24:7): the Judge Himself is handed over. That last link is the tool's own reading and is offered as such.

John 5:22 · Acts 17:31 · Luke 9:44

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: the Greek follows the Berean interlinear; the γὰρ of v. 58, omitted in KJV and BSB, is in the Greek here, and Ellicott says it is in “all the MSS.” Sources: Barnes, Poole and JFB give little on vv. 58 to 59 beyond cross-references to Matthew 5:25 to 26; Henry's single note covers vv. 54 to 59 and repeats on each verse. Poole's note is filed under v. 57 but covers vv. 57 to 59. The Pulpit entry is filed under v. 58 but treats v. 59. Cambridge's line about God as adversary, judge and officer is a quotation of Godet. Uncertain: the identity of the adversary (Law or God) is disputed among the sources; the claims that katasyrō and praktōr occur only here in the NT are ⚙ statements not computed by the Verifier. The Cambridge note on v. 58 refers to “Luke 5:25 to 26” for St Matthew's version; Matthew 5:25 to 26 is clearly meant. The doctrinal debate on “until” (purgatory, universalism) is reported as the sources give it; the tool's own reading is in the sola section.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)