Matthew 5:26 is the twenty-sixth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has just warned that if you do not reconcile with your enemies a judge is likely to throw you in jail. In this verse Jesus mentions that your debts must be paid completely before one can leave.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt

by no means come out thence, till

thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Most certainly I tell you, you shall

by no means get out of there, until

you have paid the last penny.

This verse opens with a similar phrase to that of Matthew 5:22, often translated as "amen I say to you." This is a popular phrase in Matthew, that Schweizer notes usually introduces something eschatological. This verse is normally taken as a metaphor for how God most be pleased. France notes that it is clear that for God has

The word translated as farthing in the KJV and penny in the WEB in Greek is a quadrans, as implied by the translations this was a coin of low value. The very similar verse at Luke 12:59 mentions a mite, a coin worth half a quadrans.

References

• France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
• Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
• Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975