The Meaning of Luke 7:43 Explained

Luke 7:43

KJV: Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

YLT: And Simon answering said, 'I suppose that to whom he forgave the more;' and he said to him, 'Rightly thou didst judge.'

Darby: And Simon answering said, I suppose he to whom he forgave the most. And he said to him, Thou hast rightly judged.

ASV: Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Simon  answered  and  said,  I suppose  that  [he], to whom  he forgave  most.  And  he said  unto him,  Thou hast  rightly  judged. 

What does Luke 7:43 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The answer to Jesus" question may have been obvious to Simon, though he seems to have known very little about forgiveness and love. However, he apparently knew that Jesus sometimes used questions to lure His critics into a trap. So he replied with uneasy reluctance allowing the possibility that the answer might not be as obvious as it appeared to be.

Context Summary

Luke 7:36-50 - The Forgiven Sinner's Grateful Love
What a trio! Christ stands here as a manifestation of the divine love, as it comes among sinners. The love of God is not dependent on our merits; frankly, 1 Corinthians 13:1-1316 is "freely." It is not turned away by our sins: she is a sinner. It ever manifests itself as the clearing of debts. But it demands recognition and service: thou gavest me no kiss.
The woman represents those who penitently and lovingly recognize the divine love. She was not forgiven because of her love; but her love was the sign that she had been forgiven and recognized it. What will not God's love do! The tropical sun produces rare fruit. What Jesus did for her He can do for your many sins. Pardon will lead to much love, and love becomes the gate of knowledge and the source of obedience.
Simon, the Pharisee, stands for the unloving and self-righteous, who are ignorant of the love of God. They may be respectable in life, rigid in morality, unquestioned in orthodoxy, but what are these without love? See 1711664111_7. Note the contrasts between thou and she, thy and her. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 7

1  Jesus finds a greater faith in the centurion;
10  heals his servant, being absent;
11  raises from death the widow's son at Nain;
18  answers John's messengers with the declaration of his miracles;
24  testifies to the people what opinion he held of John;
31  compares this generation to the children in the marketplaces,
36  and allowing his feet to be washed and anointed by a woman who was a sinner,
44  he shows how he is a friend to sinners, to forgive them their sins, upon their repentance

Greek Commentary for Luke 7:43

I suppose [υπολαμβανω]
Old verb, originally to take up from under, to bear away as on high, to take up in speech (Luke 10:30), to take up in mind or to assume as here and Acts 2:15. Here with an air of supercilious indifference (Plummer). [source]
The most [το πλειον]
The more.Rightly (ορτως — orthōs). Correctly. Socrates was fond of πανυ ορτως — panu orthōs The end of the argument. [source]
Rightly [ορτως]
Correctly. Socrates was fond of πανυ ορτως — panu orthōs The end of the argument. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 7:43

Luke 10:30 Answering [ὑπολαβὼν]
Used by Luke only, and in this sense only here. See on Luke 7:43. It means, strictly, to take up; and hence, of conversation, to take up another's discourse and reply. [source]
Luke 10:30 Made answer [υπολαβων]
Second aorist active participle of υπολαμβανω — hupolambanō (See note on Luke 7:43), to take up literally, and then in thought and speech, old verb, but in this sense of interrupting in talk only in the N.T. [source]
3 John 1:8 To receive [ἀπολαμβάνειν]
The best texts read ὑπολαμβάνειν tosupport; i.e., to welcome with the provision of hospitality. Rev., welcome. The verb means, originally, to take underneath in order to raise. Hence, to support. Figuratively, to take upon the mind, to suppose, as Luke 7:43; Acts 2:15: to take up or follow in speech; hence to answer, as Luke 10:30. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 7:43 mean?

Answering Simon said I take it that [he] to whom the most he forgave - And He said to him Rightly You have judged
Ἀποκριθεὶς Σίμων εἶπεν Ὑπολαμβάνω ὅτι τὸ πλεῖον ἐχαρίσατο δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ὀρθῶς ἔκρινας

Ἀποκριθεὶς  Answering 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
Σίμων  Simon 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Σίμων  
Sense: Peter was one of the apostles.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Ὑπολαμβάνω  I  take  it 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ὑπολαμβάνω  
Sense: to take up in order to raise, to bear on high.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
  [he]  to  whom 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
πλεῖον  most 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular, Comparative
Root: πολύς  
Sense: greater in quantity.
ἐχαρίσατο  he  forgave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: χαρίζομαι  
Sense: to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favour to, gratify.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ὀρθῶς  Rightly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὀρθῶς  
Sense: rightly.
ἔκρινας  You  have  judged 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: κρίνω  
Sense: to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose.