The Fallible Study Bible

The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Matthew25:14–30

The Parable of the Talents

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

Matthew 25:14–30 — The Parable of the Talents. 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.

14

For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar Hōsper anthrōpos apodēmōn ekalesen idious tous doulous kai paredōken autois autou ta hyparchonta

Word by word14 · parsed
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ὭσπερHōsper[it] is just likeG5618
√ ὥσπερ — just as, iAdverb
hōsper: just as, even as A comparison particle with no stated second half. The parable is hung on the bare word "as," which is why translators from 1611 onward have had to supply a subject.
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposa manG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounNominative Masculine Singular
ἀποδημῶνapodēmōngoing on a journeyG589
√ ἀποδημέω — to go abroad, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
apodēmeō: to go abroad A rare verb (the Verifier finds it in only 6 verses), and in every other Gospel use it launches a parable of absence and accounting: the householder of Matthew 21:33, the vineyard of Mark 12:1 and Luke 20:9, the younger son of Luke 15:13. The single participle already carries the whole shape of the story: an owner out of sight, property still his, servants left with discretion.
ἐκάλεσενekalesenwho calledG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἰδίουςidioushisG2398
√ ἴδιος — pertaining to self, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
idios: one's own, pertaining to self The word returns in verse 15 for the servants' own capacity. Ownership and capacity are named with the same adjective, which is part of the parable's argument: what is handed over stays the master's, and the measure handed over is fitted to what is already the servant's.
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
δούλουςdoulousservantsG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounAccusative Masculine Plural
doulos: slave, bondservant Not a hired man. Cambridge notes that a great deal of the commerce of antiquity was managed by slaves, who were often entrusted with responsible functions; Ellicott describes the more primitive and patriarchal arrangement in which an absentee made his slaves his agents with no formal contract. Gill restricts these servants to ministers of the word; Poole and JFB take them of all who stand under Christ by profession. The parable itself does not settle it.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
παρέδωκενparedōkenentrustedG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
paradidōmi: to hand over, deliver up The pivot of the verse. Everything the servants will handle is on loan, and the handing over is an act of the master's will, not a levy on the servants. Cambridge sends the reader to Mark 13:34, where the departing man gives his authority to his servants and to each man his work.
αὐτοῖςautoisthemG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
αὐτοῦautouwith hisG846
√ 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
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ὑπάρχονταhyparchontapossessionsG5225
√ ὑπάρχω — to begin under (quietly), iVerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Neuter Plural
hyparchonta: the things existing, one's substance JFB reads these goods as all their gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual, held on the ground that they are not their own but bought with a price. Poole deliberately refuses to narrow them to gifts flowing from Christ as Mediator and takes them of all the gifts of God, whether of providence or grace.
15

To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai men hō edōken pente talanta de hō dyo de hō hen hekastō kata idian tēn dynamin kai apedēmēsen

Word by word19 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μὲνmenG3303
√ μέν — properly, indicative of affirmation or concession (in fact)Conjunction
ᾧhōTo oneG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Masculine Singular
ἔδωκενedōkenhe gaveG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
didōmi: to give The plain verb of giving, chosen here where verse 14 used the weightier handing over. Between the two verbs the whole relation is set: the goods are given into use, not transferred in ownership.
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
talanton: a talent (weight) A rare noun, found by the Verifier in only 8 verses, and in Matthew it belongs to just two parables: this one and the unpayable debt of Matthew 18:24, where both Ellicott and Barnes send the reader for its value. In one parable the talent measures a debt no servant can pay; here it measures a trust every servant can use.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ᾧhōto [another]G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Masculine Singular
δύοdyotwo [talents]G1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
δὲdeandG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ᾧhōto [another]G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Masculine Singular
ἕνhenone [talent]G1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
ἑκάστῳhekastōeachG1538
√ ἕκαστος — each or everyAdjectiveDative Masculine Singular
hekastos: each, every one The distributive that forbids both envy and excuse: no servant receives nothing, and no servant receives another's measure.
κατὰkataaccording toG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
ἰδίανidianhis ownG2398
√ ἴδιος — pertaining to self, iAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
idios: his own The same adjective that made the slaves "his own" in verse 14 now makes the capacity the servant's own. The master's ownership and the servant's individuality are asserted in one word.
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
δύναμινdynaminabilityG1411
√ δύναμις — force (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
dynamis: force, power, ability The word Scripture ordinarily uses for power and mighty works is here used of a servant's business capacity. Cambridge draws the consequence that there is variety in the services wrought for God in respect of dignity and of difficulty, quoting Bengel that no one is pressed beyond what he can do; the Pulpit Commentary adds that this variety modifies and conditions responsibility.
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀπεδήμησενapedēmēsenhe went on his journeyG589
√ ἀποδημέω — to go abroad, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
apodēmeō: to go abroad The Pulpit Commentary observes that he departed immediately after the distribution, leaving each slave uncontrolled and undirected, and reads this as free will granted at the same moment as opportunity. Note the textual question: the Revised Version, Westcott and Hort and others move the adverb eutheōs from the end of this verse to the beginning of verse 16.
16

The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

ho labōn ta pente talanta Poreutheis Eutheōs ērgasato en autois kai ekerdēsen pente alla

Word by word14 · parsed
ὁhoThe [servant]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
λαβὼνlabōnwho had receivedG2983
√ λαμβάνω — while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent, to seize or remove))VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
lambanō: to take, receive The aorist participle marks receiving as a completed event, in deliberate contrast with the perfect participle used of the third servant in verse 24.
τὰtatheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ΠορευθεὶςPoreutheiswentG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
poreuomai: to traverse, go Cambridge notes that the ideas of trade and travelling were very nearly connected in ancient times, so this going is itself part of the trading, not a separate journey.
ΕὐθέωςEutheōsat onceG2112
√ εὐθέως — directly, iAdverb
eutheōs: directly, at once One adverb, of disputed position, carrying the whole difference between prompt obedience and delay.
ἠργάσατοērgasato[and] put them to workG2038
√ ἐργάζομαι — to toil (as a task, occupation, etcVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ergazomai: to toil, work The central verb of the parable's active half, answering the waiting of the virgins in the parable just before. JFB, quoting Trench, notes that there the inward spiritual life of the faithful was described and here the external activity.
ἐνen. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ 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 PronounDative Neuter 3rd Person Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκέρδησενekerdēsengainedG2770
√ κερδαίνω — to gain (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kerdainō: to gain Commercial profit made the image of fruitful service. Benson quotes Theophylact that the man who uses whatever he has to be useful to others is the man who doubles what is given to him.
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἄλλαallamoreG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
allos: other, another Five others, a second set beside the first, which keeps the master's original capital visible and distinct in the account.
17

Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

hōsautōs ho ta dyo ekerdēsen dyo alla

Word by word7 · parsed
ὡσαύτωςhōsautōsLikewiseG5615
√ ὡσαύτως — as thus, iAdverb
hōsautōs: in the same manner One adverb doing the work of a whole clause. Greek economy here is theological: the second servant needs no separate narrative because his fidelity is the first man's, measured smaller.
ὁhothe [one with]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
τὰtatheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
δύοdyotwo [talents]G1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἐκέρδησενekerdēsengainedG2770
√ κερδαίνω — to gain (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kerdainō: to gain Repeated without variation from verse 16. The Pulpit Commentary notes that here we have different sums multiplied in the same proportion, whereas in the parable of the pounds the same sum is increased in different proportions.
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἄλλαallamoreG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
allos: other A second pair, kept distinct from the master's own two.
18

But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho labōn to hen apelthōn ōryxen gēn kai ekrypsen autou tou kyriou to argyrion

Word by word15 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhothe [servant]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
λαβὼνlabōnwho had receivedG2983
√ λαμβάνω — while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent, to seize or remove))VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
lambanō: to receive The same aorist participle as the two faithful servants. At the moment of receiving, nothing marks this man out; the difference is entirely in what follows.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἓνhenone [talent]G1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
ἀπελθὼνapelthōnwent offG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
aperchomai: to go off, go away The Pulpit Commentary notes he too was not altogether idle; he exerted himself, but not in his lord's service. The going off is the first step of the omission, not of a crime.
ὤρυξενōryxendug a holeG3736
√ ὀρύσσω — to "burrow" in the ground, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
oryssō: to burrow, dig A rare verb, and the choice is deliberate: energy is spent, sweat is given, work is done, all of it in the wrong direction. Gill turns the burial into a portrait of earthly mindedness, the man choosing to bury his talent in the world rather than drop the world.
γῆνgēnin the groundG1093
√ γῆ — soilNounAccusative Feminine Singular
gē: soil, earth The ground is where seed is meant to be put. The servant buries in the earth what was given to be sown, and in verse 24 he will accuse his master of reaping where he did not sow.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔκρυψενekrypsenhidG2928
√ κρύπτω — to conceal (properly, by covering)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kryptō: to conceal by covering Hiding is the whole of his offence. Ellicott observes the strikingly suggestive fact that those who had received the higher sums proved good and faithful, and that failure was left to the man who had received the least.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ 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
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
κυρίουkyrioumaster’sG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
kyrios: lord, master The title used of the owner throughout, and the one the servant himself uses in verse 24. He never denies the lordship; he simply acts as though the lordship were a threat.
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἀργύριονargyrionmoneyG694
√ ἀργύριον — silvery, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
argyrion: silver, money Silver is the thing bankers of verse 27 handled at their tables; it names the very form of wealth that was easiest to put to safe use, which is why the burial is inexcusable on the master's own terms.
19

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Meta polyn chronon ho kyrios ekeinōn tōn doulōn erchetai kai synairei logon met’ autōn

Word by word15 · parsed
δὲdevvvG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΜετὰMetaAfterG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
πολὺνpolyna longG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
polys: much, many The same adjective will name the "many things" the faithful are set over in verses 21 and 23. Much time answers to much trust.
χρόνονchronontimeG5550
√ χρόνος — a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from G2540 (καιρός), which designates a fixed or special occasionNounAccusative Masculine Singular
chronos: a span of time Gill writes as an eighteenth century minister that seventeen hundred years are now past and the Lord is not yet come, and holds that the delay is to give labourers time and to leave the slothful without excuse. The honest note is that the delay is a feature of the parable, not an embarrassment to it.
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κύριοςkyriosmasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
kyrios: lord He returns as the same person who left; nothing in the reckoning is new authority, only authority exercised.
ἐκείνωνekeinōnof thoseG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounGenitive Masculine Plural
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
δούλωνdoulōnservantsG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounGenitive Masculine Plural
ἔρχεταιerchetaireturnedG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
erchomai: to come The vivid present. The Pulpit Commentary distinguishes the end of opportunity at death from the reckoning reserved for the coming of the Lord, and notes that the parable speaks only of the servants' account, not of the judgment of the world, which is the theme of the passage that follows this unit.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
συναίρειsynaireisettledG4868
√ συναίρω — to make up together, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
synairō: to take up together, reckon A rare verb (3 verses). Its other Matthean use opens the parable of the king who reckoned with his servants and found a debt of ten thousand talents, so Matthew's two accounting parables are tied by this verb and by the talent itself.
λόγονlogonaccountsG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
logos: something said, an account The word that means word also means reckoning. Cambridge reads the reckoning commercially, as the master taking his stipulated share of the profits; the Greek noun lets the audit be both a statement and a settlement.
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
√ 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 Plural
20

The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ho labōn ta pente talanta proselthōn prosēnenken pente alla talanta Kyrie legōn paredōkas moi pente talanta ide ekerdēsa pente talanta alla

Word by word22 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhoThe [servant]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
λαβὼνlabōnwho had receivedG2983
√ λαμβάνω — while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent, to seize or remove))VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
τὰtatheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
προσελθὼνproselthōncameG4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
proserchomai: to approach The Pulpit Commentary notes that the slaves appear in the same order in which they had received the deposits, and that the first comes joyfully, showing boldness in his day of judgment.
προσήνεγκενprosēnenken[and] presentedG4374
√ προσφέρω — to bear towards, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
prospherō: to bear toward, offer The verb of bringing an offering. What was traded for profit is carried back as a gift, which is why the account can be rendered without boasting.
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἄλλαallamoreG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantaG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ΚύριεKyrieMasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
λέγωνlegōnhe saidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
παρέδωκαςparedōkasyou entrustedG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
paradidōmi: to hand over The servant's first word about the money is that it was handed to him. This is the exact opposite of the third servant's opening, which is a statement about the master's character.
μοιmoimeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
πέντεpente{with} fiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλαντάtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἴδεideSeeG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
ide: see, behold An imperative used as an interjection. Gill reads the whole speech as the plain manifestness of a life before the searcher of hearts, not as a recital Christ needs to hear.
ἐκέρδησαekerdēsaI have gainedG2770
√ κερδαίνω — to gain (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
kerdainō: to gain First person now. In verse 16 the narrator said he gained; here he says it himself, and the claim is allowed to stand unchallenged by the master, which is the parable's warrant for honest confidence at the reckoning.
πέντεpentefiveG4002
√ πέντε — "five"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantaG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἄλλαallamoreG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
21

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

autou ho kyrios Ephē autō Eu agathe kai piste doule ēs pistos epi oliga katastēsō se epi pollōn eiselthe eis tēn charan tou sou kyriou

Word by word25 · parsed
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ 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
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κύριοςkyriosmasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἜφηEphērepliedG5346
√ φημί — to show or make known one's thoughts, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
phēmi: to make known one's thought The verb is one of disclosure. What follows is not a wage calculated but a mind revealed.
αὐτῷautōG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ΕὖEuWell doneG2095
√ εὖ — (adverbially) wellAdverb
eu: well A rare adverb (the Verifier finds it in 6 verses). One syllable of approval, standing alone, with no object and no qualification, and it is the only praise the parable gives.
ἀγαθὲagathegoodG18
√ ἀγαθός — "good" (in any sense, often as noun)AdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
agathos: good The Pulpit Commentary argues he is praised not for success but for being good, that is, honest in exercising a trust for another's benefit, and faithful, true to his master's interests. Gill notes that faithful ministers do not say "well done" to themselves, and that the commendation is Christ's to give.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πιστέpistefaithfulG4103
√ πιστός — objectively, trustworthyAdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
pistos: trustworthy, faithful The adjective appears twice in one verse, first as address and then as verdict: faithful slave, thou wast faithful. Fidelity is named as both what he is and what he did, which is why the reward is not measured by the size of the gain.
δοῦλεdouleservantG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounVocative Masculine Singular
ἦςēsYou have beenG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
eimi: to be Imperfect, thou wast being faithful, a sustained state over the long absence rather than a single act at the audit.
πιστόςpistosfaithfulG4103
√ πιστός — objectively, trustworthyAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἐπὶepiwithG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ὀλίγαoligaa few thingsG3641
√ ὀλίγος — puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
oligos: puny, few Gill denies that the things are small in themselves, since the truths and gifts entrusted are the unsearchable riches of Christ, and insists they are few only by comparison with the glory to be revealed.
καταστήσωkatastēsōI will putG2525
√ καθίστημι — to place down (permanently), iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
kathistēmi: to set down, appoint Ellicott finds here a glimpse behind the veil: the reward of faithful work lies not in rest only but in enlarged activity. Read with verse 28, the appointment is concrete, since the forfeited talent is handed to the servant already holding ten.
σεseyou {in charge}G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
ἐπὶepiofG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
πολλῶνpollōnmany thingsG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
polys: many The genitive of settled authority. JFB sets the contrast sharply: thou hast been faithful as a servant, now be a ruler.
εἴσελθεeiseltheEnterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
eiserchomai: to enter An aorist imperative of entry, the same grammatical form as the command to cast out in verse 30. The parable ends in two imperatives, one of welcome and one of expulsion.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
χαρὰνcharanjoyG5479
√ χαρά — cheerfulness, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
chara: cheerfulness, joy The joy is the master's own, and the servant is told to come inside it. Geneva notes that the Lord's joy is here doubled and points to John 15:11, that my joy may remain in you and your joy be fulfilled; JFB reads it as thy Lord's own joy and adds Hebrews 12:2.
τοῦtouofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
κυρίουkyrioumasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
22

The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho ta dyo talanta kai Proselthōn eipen Kyrie paredōkas moi dyo talanta ide ekerdēsa dyo talanta alla

Word by word18 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhoThe [servant]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
τὰta[who had received] theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ho: the (article) The article carries the man's whole identity here, since the Greek supplies no verb of receiving. He is simply "the two talents man," named by his measure.
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
καὶkaialsoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ΠροσελθὼνProselthōncameG4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
proserchomai: to approach The same approach verb as verse 20. The Pulpit Commentary notes he comes with equal confidence and joyfulness, having been as faithful as the first.
εἶπενeipen[and] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eipon: to say A bare aorist of speech where the first servant had a present participle of saying alongside his offering. Matthew's compression is itself the argument: the second account needs no more words because it differs only in number.
ΚύριεKyrieMasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
παρέδωκαςparedōkasyou entrustedG3860
√ παραδίδωμι — to surrender, iVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
paradidōmi: to hand over Repeated from verse 20 without change, and from verse 14 before that. Three times now the handing over has been named, twice by servants who understood it.
μοιmoimeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
δύοdyo{with} twoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλαντάtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἴδεideSeeG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
ide: see, behold The same pointing imperative as verse 20 and verse 25. Between the three uses lies the whole parable: two men point at increase, one points at preserved metal.
ἐκέρδησαekerdēsaI have gainedG2770
√ κερδαίνω — to gain (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
τάλανταtalantaG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἄλλαallamoreG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
23

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

autou ho kyrios Ephē autō Eu agathe kai piste doule ēs pistos epi oliga katastēsō se epi pollōn eiselthe eis tēn charan tou sou kyriou

Word by word25 · parsed
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ 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
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κύριοςkyriosmasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἜφηEphērepliedG5346
√ φημί — to show or make known one's thoughts, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ΕὖEuWell doneG2095
√ εὖ — (adverbially) wellAdverb
eu: well The identical syllable of approval. The parable spends a whole verse repeating itself in order to say that the smaller servant hears nothing smaller.
ἀγαθὲagathegoodG18
√ ἀγαθός — "good" (in any sense, often as noun)AdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πιστέpistefaithfulG4103
√ πιστός — objectively, trustworthyAdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
δοῦλεdouleservantG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounVocative Masculine Singular
ἦςēsYou have beenG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
πιστόςpistosfaithfulG4103
√ πιστός — objectively, trustworthyAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
pistos: faithful Faithfulness, not yield, is the thing the two verdicts have in common. The Pulpit Commentary notes that fidelity in a smaller sphere may be of greater importance than in a larger area, and cites 2 Corinthians 8:12, that a willing mind is accepted according to what a man has.
ἐπὶepiwithG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ὀλίγαoligaa few thingsG3641
√ ὀλίγος — puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
καταστήσωkatastēsōI will putG2525
√ καθίστημι — to place down (permanently), iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
kathistēmi: to appoint over The same appointment, in the same words, over the same "many things." Nothing in the promotion is scaled to the original deposit.
σεseyou {in charge}G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
ἐπὶepiofG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
πολλῶνpollōnmany thingsG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
εἴσελθεeiseltheEnterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
eiserchomai: to enter Gill guards this against two misreadings at once: the talents are not sufficient grace which a man improves to procure happiness, and the happiness promised is the Lord's own joy given of grace, not merit, since a servant faithful over a few things is made ruler over many.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
χαρὰνcharanjoyG5479
√ χαρά — cheerfulness, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
chara: joy Undivided and unmeasured. Whatever the reward means, the parable refuses to portion it by ability.
τοῦtouofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
κυρίουkyrioumasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
24

Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho eilēphōs to hen talanton Proselthōn kai eipen Kyrie egnōn se hoti ei sklēros anthrōpos therizōn hopou ouk espeiras kai synagōn hothen ou dieskorpisas

Word by word25 · parsed
δὲdeFinallyG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhothe [servant]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
εἰληφὼςeilēphōswho had receivedG2983
√ λαμβάνω — while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent, to seize or remove))VerbPerfect Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
lambanō: to take, receive (perfect) The tense is the first sign of trouble. The other servants received and went to work; this one has received, and the receiving has become a state he stands in. Grammar and behaviour match.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἓνhenoneG1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
τάλαντονtalantontalentG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Singular
ΠροσελθὼνProselthōncameG4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΚύριεKyrieMasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
ἔγνωνegnōnI knewG1097
√ γινώσκω — to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)VerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ginōskō: to know He opens with a claim to knowledge of his master's person. Ellicott leaves open whether this was an afterthought invented to cover sloth, or the thought that had been at the root of the neglect all along, and adds that the eye sees only so far as it brings the power to see.
σεseG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
ὅτιhotithatG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
εἶeiyou areG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
σκληρὸςsklērosa hardG4642
√ σκληρός — dry, iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
sklēros: dry, hard, harsh The parable's crisis is a character judgment. The Pulpit Commentary observes that men regard God not as he is but according to their own perverted views, and quotes Psalm 50:21, thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself.
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposmanG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounNominative Masculine Singular
θερίζωνtherizōnreapingG2325
√ θερίζω — to harvestVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
therizō: to harvest, reap Ellicott hears behind the phrase the proverb of John 4:37, one sows and another reaps, taken on its darker and more worldly side; Gill also cites that verse, and Barnes reads the charge as portraying an avaricious man who makes the poor sow for him.
ὅπουhopouwhereG3699
√ ὅπου — what(-ever) where, iAdverb
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἔσπειραςespeirasyou have not sownG4687
√ σπείρω — to scatter, iVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
συνάγωνsynagōngatheringG4863
√ συνάγω — to lead together, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
synagō: to gather together The verb of gathering into a barn, used with the negative of scattering to complete the picture of profit without labour. Cambridge renders the charge as exacting interest where thou hast invested no money.
ὅθενhothenwhereG3606
√ ὅθεν — from which place or source or cause (adverb or conjunction)Conjunction
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
διεσκόρπισαςdieskorpisasyou have not scattered seedG1287
√ διασκορπίζω — to dissipate, iVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
diaskorpizō: to dissipate, scatter The final word of the accusation, and its meaning is not settled. Note that the servant's charge is never conceded in the parable: Cambridge states that the accusation was false but the lord takes his slave at his word.
25

So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai phobētheis apelthōn ekrypsa sou to talanton en tē gē ide echeis to son

Word by word14 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
φοβηθεὶςphobētheisI was afraidG5399
√ φοβέω — to frighten, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
phobeō: to frighten, be afraid The passive is the pivot of the excuse. Gill judges the fear a pretence, the true causes being sloth and earthly mindedness; JFB reads the burial as the act of one afraid of making matters worse by meddling with it at all.
ἀπελθὼνapelthōnand went out [and]G565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἔκρυψαekrypsahidG2928
√ κρύπτω — to conceal (properly, by covering)VerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
kryptō: to hide by covering The same verb as verse 18, now in the first person. The parable lets the man indict himself in the words the narrator already used.
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
τάλαντόνtalantontalentG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
γῇgēgroundG1093
√ γῆ — soilNounDative Feminine Singular
gē: earth, ground The Pulpit Commentary notes he put it away for safety so that it might come to no harm, recognising no duty owed to the giver and no responsibility for work, and that the time he held it was wasted along with the money.
ἴδεideSeeG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
ἔχειςecheisyou haveG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
echō: to have, hold Present tense: thou hast. He presents the unchanged deposit as a completed discharge, which is precisely the claim verse 27 will refuse.
τὸtowhat [belongs]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
σόνsonto youG4674
√ σός — thinePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Neuter 2nd Person Singular
sos: thine The last word of his defence is a possessive. He has kept the ownership straight and the trust empty, and Gill's verdict is that it is not sufficient to retain what is given, since every spiritual gift is given to profit with.
26

‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Ponēre kai oknēre doule de Apokritheis eipen autō autou ho kyrios ēdeis hoti therizō hopou ouk espeira kai synagō hothen ou dieskorpisa

Word by word22 · parsed
ΠονηρὲPonēreYou wickedG4190
√ πονηρός — hurtful, iAdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
ponēros: hurtful, evil Placed first for force. Gill locates the wickedness in three things at once: not doing the good he might, entertaining wrong thoughts of his Lord, and bringing false charges against him.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὀκνηρέoknērelazyG3636
√ ὀκνηρός — tardy, iAdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
oknēros: tardy, shrinking The word that pins the parable to the portrait of the sluggard in the Proverbs, the man with a reason ready for the work he will not start. Benson presses it: he that is careless in God's work is near akin to him that is busy in the devil's work, and it is evil enough to have done no good.
δοῦλεdouleservantG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounVocative Masculine Singular
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἈποκριθεὶςApokritheisrepliedG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
apokrinomai: to answer The master answers rather than merely speaks, so the verdict is framed as a reply to the accusation, argued from the servant's own premise.
εἶπενeipen. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ 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
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κύριοςkyriosmasterG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ᾔδειςēdeisYou knewG1492
√ εἴδω — used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι) and G3708 (ὁράω)VerbPluperfect Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
eidō: to know (pluperfect) The whole weight of the master's argument rests on this verb. He does not defend his character; he holds the servant to the logic of the character the servant assigned him, which Cambridge summarises as thou oughtest therefore, for that very reason.
ὅτιhotithatG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
θερίζωtherizōI reapG2325
√ θερίζω — to harvestVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
therizō: to reap Now in the first person. The reader is not told whether the master concedes the description or only quotes it, and the commentators divide accordingly: Cambridge says the accusation was false, JFB says he takes the servant's account as a graphic enough statement of his requiring a return.
ὅπουhopouwhereG3699
√ ὅπου — what(-ever) where, iAdverb
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἔσπειραespeiraI have not sownG4687
√ σπείρω — to scatter, iVerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
συνάγωsynagōgatherG4863
√ συνάγω — to lead together, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
synagō: to gather The second half of the quoted charge, unchanged but for its person. What was slander in verse 24 becomes, on the master's lips, the ground of an obligation the servant did not meet.
ὅθενhothenwhereG3606
√ ὅθεν — from which place or source or cause (adverb or conjunction)Conjunction
οὐou. . .G3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
διεσκόρπισαdieskorpisaI have not scattered seedG1287
√ διασκορπίζω — to dissipate, iVerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Singular
27

Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

oun se edei balein mou ta argyria tois trapezitais kai egō elthōn an ekomisamēn to emon syn tokō

Word by word18 · parsed
οὖνounThenG3767
√ οὖν — (adverbially) certainly, or (conjunctionally) accordinglyConjunction
σεseyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
ἔδειedeishouldG1163
√ δεῖ — also deon deh-on'VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
dei: it is necessary, binding An impersonal verb of obligation in a past tense: the duty existed and the time for it is gone. This is the grammatical core of the sentence against him, and it concerns a duty, not a crime.
βαλεῖνbaleinhave depositedG906
√ βάλλω — to throw (in various applications, more or less violent or intense)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
ballō: to throw, cast A blunt, almost careless verb for the safest possible action. The contrast the master draws is between one throw of the wrist and a hole dug in the ground.
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ἀργύριάargyriamoneyG694
√ ἀργύριον — silvery, iNounAccusative Neuter Plural
argyrion: silver Here plural, ta argyria, the silver pieces, which suits a deposit made at a banker's table rather than a single buried weight.
τοῖςtoiswith theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Plural
τραπεζίταιςtrapezitaisbankersG5133
√ τραπεζίτης — a money-broker or bankerNounDative Masculine Plural
trapezitēs: money broker, banker Ellicott describes the system in his note at verse 14: bankers received money on deposit, paid interest, and lent it at a higher rate or employed it in trade, a practice the Phoenicians invented and which was in full operation across the Roman empire. The detail dates the parable in a real economy, not a fable.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐγὼegōvvvG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
ἐλθὼνelthōnon my returnG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνanvvvG302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
ἐκομισάμηνekomisamēnI would have receivedG2865
√ κομίζω — properly, to provide for, iVerbAorist Indicative Middle1st Person Singular
komizō: to provide for, receive back The middle voice matters: the master expects to recover his own, not to extract a windfall. His claim is exactly as large as his gift, plus what his gift would have produced if left where money produces.
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐμὸνemonit {back}G1699
√ ἐμός — myPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Neuter 1st Person Singular
σὺνsynwithG4862
√ σύν — with or together (but much closer than G3326 (μετά) or G3844 (παρά)), iPreposition
τόκῳtokōinterestG5110
√ τόκος — interest on money loaned (as a produce)NounDative Masculine Singular
tokos: interest, offspring of money The spiritual reference of this detail is the most disputed point in the unit. Ellicott reads the bankers as whatever machinery the Church has for using opportunities individuals fail to exercise; Olshausen and Trench, as reported by the Pulpit Commentary, read them as stronger characters who guide the timid; the Pulpit Commentary itself declines to press the detail at all.
28

Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

oun Arate to talanton ap’ autou kai dote tō echonti ta deka talanta

Word by word13 · parsed
οὖνounThereforeG3767
√ οὖν — (adverbially) certainly, or (conjunctionally) accordinglyConjunction
ἌρατεAratetakeG142
√ αἴρω — to lift upVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
airō: to lift up, take away A plural imperative, so the sentence is executed by others. The same root reappears as the passive arthēsetai in verse 29, where the taking away is stated as a general law.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
τάλαντονtalantontalentG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Singular
talanton: talent The rare weight word one last time, now as a thing forfeited. Gill argues from this forfeiture that the talents cannot be saving grace, since the gift and calling of special grace are without repentance, whereas gifts may fail, cease and vanish.
ἀπ’ap’fromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
αὐτοῦautouhimG846
√ 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
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
δότεdotegive [it]G1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
didōmi: to give The same verb used of the original distribution in verse 15. The master's last recorded act toward the ten-talent servant is another giving, which the Pulpit Commentary reads as added opportunity rather than added burden.
τῷtōto the [one]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ἔχοντιechontiwho hasG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Participle ActiveDative Masculine Singular
echō: to have The participle prepares verse 29's proverb: it is not the one who earned, but the one who has, to whom more is given.
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
δέκαdekatenG1176
√ δέκα — tenAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
deka: ten Five plus five, counted as one holding. The number quietly answers the servant who thought the master's arithmetic was theft: the increase stays with the man who made it.
τάλανταtalantatalentsG5007
√ τάλαντον — equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))NounAccusative Neuter Plural
29

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar tō panti echonti dothēsetai kai perisseuthēsetai de tou mē echontos kai ho echei arthēsetai ap’ autou

Word by word17 · parsed
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
παντὶpantieveryoneG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveDative Masculine Singular
ἔχοντιechontiwho hasG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Participle ActiveDative Masculine Singular
echō: to have Cambridge observes the thought is true even in worldly matters, that talents not used pass away from their possessor, and quotes Demosthenes that the possessions of the negligent belong of right to those who will endure toil and danger.
δοθήσεταιdothēsetaiwill be given [more]G1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
didōmi: to give (future passive) A divine passive: the giving is stated without a giver, so the sentence reads as an order of things rather than a decision taken case by case. Barnes calls it a proverbial expression, and warns against reading it as though something were literally subtracted from the unfaithful and handed to the faithful.
καὶkaiand [he]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
περισσευθήσεταιperisseuthēsetaiwill have an abundanceG4052
√ περισσεύω — to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluousVerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
perisseuō: to superabound, be in excess The lexicon's gloss is to superabound, be in excess, be superfluous, and the verb stands here in the future passive: he will be made to overflow. Abundance, not adequacy, is what the clause promises, and it is promised to the man just called faithful over a few things, so the parable's economy runs from little entrusted to overflow given rather than from much earned to much owed. Ellicott notes how extremely general the statement of this law is; the Pulpit Commentary reads the accession as grace for grace, citing John 1:16. Neither treats the overflow as wages.
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τοῦtouthe [one who]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
μὴmē{does} notG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ἔχοντοςechontoshaveG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Singular
echō: to have (genitive participle) The better text reads tou de mē echontos rather than the Received Text's apo de tou mē echontos, which with the closing ap' autou is less tautological. The Pulpit Commentary takes "have not" as possessing nothing of consequence, and Poole as having but being as if he had not.
καὶkaievenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὃhowhatG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἔχειecheihe hasG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἀρθήσεταιarthēsetaiwill be taken awayG142
√ αἴρω — to lift upVerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
airō: to take away The same root as verse 28's imperative, now passive and universal. The Vulgate and a few manuscripts add "that which he seemeth to have," which Gill and the Pulpit Commentary both trace to Luke 8:18.
ἀπ’ap’fromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
αὐτοῦautouhimG846
√ 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
30

And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ekbalete ton achreion doulon eis to to exōteron skotos ekei estai ho klauthmos kai ho brygmos tōn odontōn

Word by word19 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκβάλετεekbaletethrowG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ekballō: to cast out A plural imperative of expulsion, matching the plural imperative of welcome in verses 21 and 23. The parable ends with two commands, and the servant's fate is spoken about him rather than to him.
τὸνtonthatG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἀχρεῖονachreionworthlessG888
√ ἀχρεῖος — useless, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
achreios: useless, unprofitable The whole indictment in one adjective. The Pulpit Commentary states the shock of it plainly: not for great ill doing, sacrilege or crime, but for neglect, idleness, omission of duty; Benson observes that mere harmlessness, on which many build their hope of salvation, was the cause of his damnation.
δοῦλονdoulonservantG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounAccusative Masculine Singular
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐξώτερονexōteronouterG1857
√ ἐξώτερος — exteriorAdjectiveAccusative Neuter SingularComparative
exōteros: exterior, outer A comparative adjective, so the darkness is defined by being further out than something else: outside the house, outside the joy just opened to the other two. The spatial logic is the parable's own, since the faithful were told to enter.
σκότοςskotosdarknessG4655
√ σκότος — shadiness, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
skotos: shadiness, darkness Henry notes that this is a usual way of expressing the miseries of the damned, and both Henry and the Pulpit Commentary observe that here the parable breaks out of its own frame: the thing intended bursts through the figure, which is what makes the ending unbearable rather than merely tidy.
ἐκεῖekei[where] thereG1563
√ ἐκεῖ — thereAdverb
ἔσταιestaiwill beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
κλαυθμὸςklauthmosweepingG2805
√ κλαυθμός — lamentationNounNominative Masculine Singular
klauthmos: lamentation, weeping With the article, the weeping. The Pulpit Commentary reads it as the remorse of lost opportunities, wasted graces and bartered privileges, which fits this parable specifically rather than being a general description of judgment.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
βρυγμὸςbrygmosgnashingG1030
√ βρυγμός — a grating (of the teeth)NounNominative Masculine Singular
brygmos: a grating of the teeth A rare noun (7 verses), and in every one of them it closes a scene of exclusion: Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51 and Luke 13:28. The formula is deliberately unremarkable, and that is its force here: the man who only hid something is dismissed in the same words as the openly wicked.
τῶνtōnofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ὀδόντωνodontōnteethG3599
√ ὀδούς — a "tooth"NounGenitive Masculine Plural

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 owner who goes abroad, and goods that stay his — 25:14-15

The Greek begins mid comparison: Ὥσπερ γάρ, for just as a man going abroad, with no second half ever stated. Ellicott records that the words about the kingdom of heaven are supplied only for grammatical completeness, and the Pulpit Commentary calls the sentence anacoluthic; Cambridge goes further and states that the phrase into a far country does not occur in the original at all, since the one participle ἀποδημῶν (G589, a rare verb, found in 6 verses) carries the whole idea. Ellicott sets the frame in the Eastern handling of property in the owner's absence, where the more patriarchal course was for an absentee to make his slaves his agents with no formal contract, and Cambridge confirms that much of the commerce of antiquity was managed by slaves entrusted with responsible functions. On what is handed over the brief does not speak with one voice, and the difference matters: Benson takes the talents for gifts and endowments of body and mind, natural and acquired; Ellicott argues that since an ability is presupposed prior to the distribution, the talents stand less for natural gifts than for external opportunities; Gill narrows them to ministerial gifts and the servants to preachers; Poole deliberately refuses to restrict them to gifts flowing from Christ as Mediator and takes them of all the gifts of God, whether of providence or grace. ⚙ Only one reading is closed off by the grammar itself. The verb is παρέδωκεν (G3860), to hand over, to deliver up; the master gives before he goes, and gives to each κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν δύναμιν, according to his own capacity. Whatever the talents are, they arrive as gift, and they arrive measured to the man.

ii. Two who worked and one who dug — 25:16-18

The faithful servants are described with one verb each. ἠργάσατο (G2038) is glossed by Ellicott literally as wrought, or, was busy, and the Pulpit Commentary notes it covers husbandry or any work by which profit is obtained; ἐκέρδησεν (G2770) is the trader's gain. Benson, quoting Theophylact, says the man who uses whatever he has to be useful to others is the man who doubles what is given to him. The second servant gets no verb of labour at all: the single adverb ὡσαύτως, in just this same manner, is made to carry his whole diligence, and JFB draws the conclusion that each doubled what he received and both were therefore equally faithful. Against these stands a man who also worked hard. ὤρυξεν (G3736, rare, 3 verses) is real digging, and ἔκρυψεν (G2928) is covering over. JFB weighs the act exactly: not misspending, but simply making no use of it, the action of one anxious that the gift should not be lost. Gill reads the burial as earthly mindedness, the man burying his talent in the world rather than dropping the world; the Pulpit Commentary observes that he was not altogether idle but exerted himself, and yet not in his lord's service. Ellicott notices what the parable arranges: the failure is left to the man who received the least, and he adds the sober human observation that wider opportunity brings greater condemnation but commonly less risk of failure, because the very presence of opportunity brings a sense of responsibility. ⚙ The Greek quietly sets the trap the servant will fall into. He digs the γῆν, the soil, and puts into it what was given to be sown; in verse 24 he will accuse his master of reaping where he did not sow.

iii. The reckoning, and one word said twice — 25:19-23

ἔρχεται stands in the present tense, so the coming is put before the reader as happening, even after πολὺν χρόνον, much time, which the brief's lexicon distinguishes from an appointed kairos. Ellicott hears in it a faint suggestion of a longer delay than men looked for, Cambridge another hint that the coming would be long deferred, and Gill, writing in the eighteenth century, admits that seventeen hundred years are now past. JFB turns the same clause against over-eager datings, remarking that anyone with these words before them should not have expected the Second Appearing within the apostles' lifetime. The audit itself is συναίρει λόγον (G4868, rare, 3 verses), to take up a word together, the same verb used of the reckoning king in Matthew 18:23. Then comes the verse that shows what the parable is for: in verses 21 and 23 the master's answer is identical in Greek, word for word, though the sums differ. Poole draws it out, that God does not expect an equality of service from all but a service proportionable to the gifts given, and Gill adds that the same happiness is bestowed on one as the other, which in neither is of merit but of grace. Maclaren states the parable's distinctive lesson as men with dissimilar gifts employing them with equal diligence and receiving the same reward. Ellicott corrects the older English: καταστήσω is I will set thee over, since the word ruler is not in the Greek, and the Pulpit Commentary notes that ἐπὶ ὀλίγα accusative moves to ἐπὶ πολλῶν genitive, from a task discharged to authority held. Last, εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν: the servant enters the joy, the joy does not enter him. Ellicott calls the words almost too strong for the framework, since no human master would speak so to a slave, and Geneva and JFB alike carry them to John 15:11.

iv. The slander, the silver, and the darkness outside — 25:24-30

The third servant is introduced with a different participle: εἰληφὼς, perfect, a settled state of having received, where the others had the plain aorist λαβὼν. His first words are ἔγνων σε, I knew thee, with the master himself as the object, and the portrait he gives is σκληρός (G4642), dry and hard, which Ellicott says points to stiffness of character and which Luke's parallel makes austere. Ellicott leaves open whether the plea is an afterthought or the root of the neglect all along, and adds that a man who never saw generous love in his master had already lost the energy that depends on love. JFB names the transaction: thus do men secretly think of God as a hard Master and throw on Him the blame of their fruitlessness. Cambridge notes the slave anticipates his own condemnation, and that the accusation was false but the lord takes his slave at his word, thou oughtest therefore, for that very reason. The master's reply is built on two vocatives, Πονηρὲ and ὀκνηρέ (G4190, G3636), hurtful and shrinking. JFB reads the second as marking the precise nature of the first: his wickedness consisted not in doing anything against, but simply nothing for his master; Benson, citing Proverbs 18:9, holds that omissions of duty are commissions of sin. Then verse 27 assumes the world as it stood: ἔδει, it was binding on you, to throw the silver to the τραπεζίταις, the table men. Cambridge calls this the very least the slave could have done, since it required no exertion or intelligence. Here the sources genuinely divide. Ellicott, Barnes and Cambridge read the clause straight as a rebuke measured to the man's own plea; Geneva reads it as sarcasm, arguing that since usury was forbidden by Exodus 22 and Deuteronomy 23 the master is saying, in effect, why not call me a usurer as well. ⚙ The Pulpit Commentary's caution is the honest one: Christ draws his picture from the world as he finds it and pronounces no opinion on its ethical bearing. The sentence then falls in words that are not commercial at all. ἀχρεῖον (G888) is useless, of no profit, and ἐκβάλετε (G1544) is cast out, the same root as the βαλεῖν he would not do with the silver. Benson states the terror of it: mere harmlessness, on which many build their hope of salvation, was the cause of his damnation.

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

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested against the text and against the named voices above. The parable turns on a slander, and the slander is about grace. Every fact in the story contradicts the servant's portrait: the master gave before he left, gave without contract, gave measured to capacity, asked no interim report, and at the reckoning praised a servant in one syllable and opened his own joy to him. The servant's ἔγνων σε, I knew thee, is the only piece of information in the parable that is false, and his fear follows from it rather than from anything the master did. So the buried talent is not primarily a failure of industry; it is theology acted out. What a man believes about God he will do with God's gifts. Ellicott and JFB both say as much in their own terms, and Gill answers the slander point by point out of Christ's recorded character. Two things restrain this reading from going further than the text. First, the parable does not say the servant was condemned for wrong belief; it says he was condemned for doing nothing, and it makes the master argue from the servant's own premise rather than correct it. Second, the sources cannot agree on who the servants are, whether ministers only (Gill), all who profess Christ (JFB), or humanity broadly (Barnes allows perhaps all people), and the parable does not decide it. What the parable will bear is this: no one here is judged for a small measure, and no one is excused by one. The line set apart below is ours, an interpretive sentence and not a verse of Scripture.

He did not lose the talent; he lost every year he spent guarding it.

⚙

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.

Matthew's other reckoning: the talent as debt, and the rare verb of adding up verbal / quotation: confirmed

Matthew uses the weight word τάλαντον in only two parables, and both are audits. At 18:23 a king synairei logon with his servants, the same rare verb (G4868) that this unit uses at verse 19; at 18:24 the talent measures a debt no servant can pay. Both Ellicott and Barnes send the reader from 25:15 to the note on 18:24 for the sum itself. ⚙ Set side by side, the two parables measure opposite things with the same weight: there a debt beyond discharge, here a trust within reach of use, and in both the servant's fate turns on how he construes his lord.

Matthew 18:23 · Matthew 18:24

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G5007 τάλαντον (in 8 vv, rare) with Matthew 18:24, and G4868 συναίρω (in 3 vv, rare) with Matthew 18:23; both refs are Greek New Testament, so the shared Strong's numbers are a genuine verbal link within one Gospel

Going abroad: the rare verb that opens Jesus' parables of absence verbal / quotation: confirmed

ἀποδημέω is rare, and every one of its Gospel occurrences starts a story about an owner who leaves and property that stays his: the householder who planted a vineyard and went abroad (Matthew 21:33, Mark 12:1, Luke 20:9) and the younger son who took his portion and went abroad (Luke 15:13). JFB notes that Matthew 21:33 ascribes the same departure to God after setting up the ancient economy, and reads both as the leaving of men to the action of the spiritual laws under which they have been placed. ⚙ The shared verb is real; the pattern it marks is a single habit of teaching, not one quotation of another.

Matthew 21:33 · Mark 12:1 · Luke 20:9 · Luke 15:13

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G589 ἀποδημέω (in 6 vv, rare) with Matthew 21:33, Mark 12:1, Luke 20:9 and Luke 15:13, plus G3736 ὀρύσσω (in 3 vv) shared with Mark 12:1; all refs are New Testament Greek, so the rare lexeme is a recorded verbal link, not a quotation claim

The weeping and the gnashing: Matthew's fixed formula for the outside verbal / quotation: confirmed

Verse 30 does not invent its ending. The pairing of κλαυθμός with βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων is a set formula, and βρυγμός is rare (7 verses). It closes the sentence on the unprofitable servant here, on the man without a wedding garment at 22:13, on the unfaithful steward at 24:51, on those cast out at 8:12 and 13:28, and on the furnace of 13:42 and 13:50. Benson, Barnes, Gill and the Pulpit Commentary all cross-reference these places at verse 30 rather than treat this ending as peculiar. ⚙ The force of the formula here is its ordinariness: the same words that end parables about open wickedness end a parable about a man who only hid something.

Matthew 8:12 · Matthew 22:13 · Matthew 24:51 · Matthew 13:42 · Luke 13:28

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G1030 βρυγμός (in 7 vv, rare) and G3599 ὀδούς (in 11 vv) with Matthew 22:13, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 24:51, Matthew 13:42 and Luke 13:28, with G1563 ἐκεῖ (in 94 vv) and G906 βάλλω (in 107 vv) as the common frame; all refs are New Testament Greek

The pounds in Luke: near neighbour, different parable structural / thematic: confirmed

Luke 19:12-27 shares servants, a departing lord, deposited silver, an accounting and even the proverb about the man who has. The Verifier's bases here are common words (ἀργύριον in 20 verses, δίδωμι in 378, δοῦλος in 118), so nothing verbal is being claimed. The brief's commentators are unusually united against fusing them: Ellicott will treat each separately; JFB notes that Calvin, Olshausen and Meyer identify the two while De Wette and Neander do not; Poole says the best expositors think it another parable spoken at another time; the Pulpit Commentary lists the divergences item by item; Cambridge and Maclaren both name the decisive difference, that the pounds parable gives equal gifts and unequal diligence while this one gives unequal gifts and equal diligence.

Luke 19:17 · Luke 19:23 · Luke 17:10

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G694 ἀργύριον (in 20 vv), G1325 δίδωμι (in 378 vv), G4862 σύν (in 124 vv) with Luke 19:23 and G1401 δοῦλος (in 118 vv) with Luke 19:17 and Luke 17:10; all are common words, so the link is a shared pattern of teaching and not a quotation, and the brief's voices expressly deny that the two parables are one utterance

The sluggard's excuse: a lion in the road, a talent in the ground structural / thematic: confirmed

The master's second vocative, ὀκνηρέ (G3636, tardy, shrinking), lands the parable in the territory of the Proverbs sluggard, who has a reason ready for every road he will not take and who will not thrust his hand to the work in front of him. Benson makes the connection himself at verse 26, citing Proverbs 18:9 that he who is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster, and adding that omissions of duty are commissions of sin. ⚙ The resemblance is a shared portrait, not a citation: the servant quotes no proverb, and Matthew signals no fulfilment.

Proverbs 26:13-16 · Proverbs 6:6-11 · Proverbs 18:9

basis: Cross-Testament link (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme can be computed and no verbal tier is possible; the recorded basis is a shared motif of the slothful man whose fear supplies his excuse, together with Benson's own citation of Proverbs 18:9 at verse 26

Reaping where you did not sow: the slander that describes the gift of the land typological

The servant's charge, θερίζων ὅπου οὐκ ἔσπειρας, reaping where you did not sow, states as an accusation the very thing Israel was told to remember as mercy: cities they did not build, vineyards and olive groves they did not plant, a land they did not labour for. Ellicott and Gill both hear behind the servant's words the proverb of John 4:37, one sows and another reaps, taken on its darker side. ⚙ The parable's irony is that the servant has correctly described how God deals and drawn exactly the wrong conclusion from it: what the Torah calls gift he calls extortion.

Deuteronomy 6:10-11 · Joshua 24:13 · John 4:37

basis: Cross-Testament, so no shared Strong's lexeme and no verbal claim; read figurally as the pattern of the giver who hands over what the receiver did not earn, with John 4:37 supplied by Ellicott and Gill as the proverb in view. Marked novel rather than widely-held: the brief's voices treat the phrase as a proverb about hard masters and do not themselves make the Deuteronomy and Joshua connection

The bankers' table: the law verse 27 assumes structural / thematic: confirmed

Verse 27 tells the servant he should have thrown the silver to the τραπεζίταις and that the master would have had back his own σὺν τόκῳ, with interest. The brief's voices supply the legal background and then disagree about its force. Barnes cites Exodus 22:25 and Leviticus 25:36 and says the underlying word means gain or lawful interest, not the exorbitant sort; Geneva cites Exodus 22 and Deuteronomy 23 and Nehemiah 5 and concludes the master is speaking sarcastically; the Pulpit Commentary notes that later practice did not observe the older limits and that rates ran from four to forty per cent, and refuses to draw any moral from the detail. ⚙ The safest statement is that the parable presupposes a functioning deposit economy and a law that restricted lending within Israel, and that it settles nothing about either.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 · Leviticus 25:36-37

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme and no verbal tier; the basis is the legal background of lending at interest which the master's rebuke assumes, cited at this verse by Barnes, Geneva and the Pulpit Commentary from Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:36 and Deuteronomy 23:19-20

A lexical coincidence recorded and not used: the adverb eu flagged: verify source

The Verifier lists Ephesians 6:3 among the candidates on the strength of εὖ (G2095), which is genuinely rare, in only 6 verses. ⚙ It does not carry a link. In Ephesians the adverb sits inside Paul's citation of the fifth commandment, that it may be well with you; here it is the master's bare shout of commendation. The frequency is low, but the two uses have nothing in common beyond the syllable, and the other shared lexeme offered, γῆ (in 223 verses), is one of the commonest nouns in Scripture. Recorded here as flagged so the candidate is not silently reused as evidence.

Ephesians 6:3

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G2095 εὖ (in 6 vv, rare) and G1093 γῆ (in 223 vv) with Ephesians 6:3. The rare lexeme is a real overlap but the uses are unrelated (commendation here, a quoted commandment there), so the candidate is flagged rather than tiered verbal or structural

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The man who went abroad, and the Lord who will come ancient/widely-held

The brief's voices read the absent owner as Christ with one accord, and they say so from the text's own signals rather than by allegorising freely. Gill takes the man travelling as Christ ascending and the far country as heaven; Benson reads it of Christ withdrawing his bodily presence when he ascended; Poole and Barnes both cite Ephesians 4:8, that when he ascended up on high he gave gifts to men; Barnes adds Acts 1:11 for the return; JFB and Cambridge point to Mark 13:34, where a man taking a far journey leaves his house and gives his authority to his servants and to each his work. ⚙ What makes the reading more than an inference is the shape of verses 19 to 23. The returning lord does not collect and dismiss; he commends, appoints and opens his own joy, and Ellicott is right that no human master would speak so to slaves. The framework strains, and through the strain a voice comes that is not a landowner's.

Ephesians 4:8 · Mark 13:34 · Acts 1:11

Enter into the joy of your lord ancient/widely-held

The reward is not wages but participation: εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου σου, and the servant goes into the joy rather than receiving joy into himself. Ellicott takes the sentence as the reality breaking through the symbol, and hears the divine Master bidding his servants share his joy, whose source he named a few hours later in John 15:10-11; Geneva glosses it with John 15:11, that my joy may remain in you and your joy be fulfilled; JFB calls it thy Lord's own joy and adds Hebrews 12:2; Benson reads it as the joy Christ had in view when he endured the cross and despised the shame; the Pulpit Commentary grounds it in Psalm 16:11 and observes that the joy is not said to enter us, since we are absorbed into it. ⚙ This is the parable's deepest inversion. The servant feared a master who takes; the master's last act is to give away his own gladness.

John 15:11 · Hebrews 12:2 · Psalm 16:11

The hard man, and the One who did sow before he reaped novel

Gill answers the slander of verse 24 item by item from Christ's recorded conduct: he accepts the least service, a cup of cold water given to the least of his disciples, he is merciful to bodies and souls, he does not forget any labour of love, and he makes his strength perfect in weakness, so that where he calls to service he gives grace proportioned to it. JFB grounds the master's claim on the ground that the servants are not their own but bought with a price, citing 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. ⚙ Pressing further than the brief's voices do: the charge of reaping where he did not sow is answerable in the most literal way, because the Lord who asks a return on his gifts is the one who sowed at his own cost and reaped nothing in the earth but a grave. The parable does not say this, and no voice in the brief says it here; it is offered as a novel reading, to be tested. What the brief will support without extension is the narrower point, that the servant's portrait of his master is contradicted by every act of the master recorded in the parable.

John 4:37 · 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

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:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • 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. Three places in this unit have real variants, all recorded by the brief's voices. (1) At 25:15 and 25:16 the adverb Εὐθέως is placed differently: the interlinear here has it inside verse 16, while the Pulpit Commentary reports that the Revised Version, Westcott and Hort and Nosgen attach it to the end of verse 15 (dropping de in verse 16), and that the Vulgate agrees with the Received Text. (2) At 25:20 the phrase ep' autois, translated beside them, is omitted by Westcott and Hort, Tischendorf and the Revised Version. (3) At 25:29 the Received Text reads apo de tou mē echontos where the better manuscripts read tou de mē echontos, and the Vulgate with a few manuscripts adds "that which he seemeth to have," which the Pulpit Commentary and Gill both trace to Luke 8:18 rather than to Matthew. Cambridge also notes the 1611 Authorised Version's spelling "moe" for more at verse 20. At 25:26 editors differ over whether the master's "Thou knewest" is a statement or a question; Barnes argues for a question, the Pulpit Commentary thinks the question mark unnecessary and reads the pluperfect as a concession, "you knew, you say."

Interlinear. Glosses marked "vvv" or with dots are words the BSB does not render separately (for instance the negatives at 25:24 and 25:26, and en autois at 25:16); notes here are keyed to the Greek index, not to the English. At 25:30 the source interlinear lists the article τὸ twice, at indices 6 and 7, which appears to be a duplication in the interlinear data rather than a feature of the Greek text; no note is hung on the second one.

Sums. The value of a talent is not agreed among the sources: Benson gives about 187 pounds 10 shillings, Gill cites Brerewood at 375 pounds for silver and about 4500 pounds for gold, with Bishop Cumberland's revisions, and the Pulpit Commentary gives nearly 400 pounds. Any single figure quoted as the value of a talent should be treated as one eighteenth or nineteenth century estimate, not as data.

Sources. Henry's Concise Commentary supplies one entry covering 25:14 to 30, repeated against every verse in the brief, so he can be quoted only once for the unit. Poole's entries for several verses are cross-reference stubs pointing to his notes at 25:15, 25:18, 25:23, 25:27 and 25:30, which is where his substance lies. Maclaren's exposition is capped in the brief with roughly 11,800 characters unread, and Gill's entries at 25:14 and 25:21 are capped as well; the excerpts used here are taken only from the visible text, and no claim is made about what the capped remainder says. Geneva's note at 25:27 is a strongly worded minority reading (that the master speaks sarcastically and that lending at interest would have implicated him) and is marked as such rather than presented as the consensus.

Uncertain. Who the servants represent is genuinely disputed in the brief: Gill restricts them to ministers of the word, JFB to all who by Christian profession stand in entire subjection, Barnes allows apostles, ministers, professing Christians and perhaps all people, Poole reads the goods as all the gifts of God whether of providence or grace. The parable does not decide it, and nothing above should be read as if it did. Likewise the meaning of διεσκόρπισας at 25:24, whether sowing or winnowing, is argued rather than settled: the Pulpit Commentary follows Meyer and Edersheim for winnowing, Barnes allows either, and the older English versions read "strawed."

✦ = 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)