Matthew 25:14
New International Version
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

New Living Translation
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.

English Standard Version
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

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

Berean Literal Bible
For it is like a man going on a journey who called his own servants and delivered his possessing to them.

King James Bible
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

New King James Version
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

New American Standard Bible
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

NASB 1995
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

NASB 1977
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.

Legacy Standard Bible
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and handed over his possessions to them.

Amplified Bible
“For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions.

Christian Standard Bible
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them.

American Standard Version
For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Like the man who journeyed and called his servants and delivered to them his property.

Contemporary English Version
The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For even as a man going into a far country, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods;

English Revised Version
For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a trip. He called his servants and entrusted some money to them.

Good News Translation
"At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property.

International Standard Version
"Similarly, it is like a man going on a trip, who called his servants and turned his money over to them.

Literal Standard Version
For—as a man going abroad called his own servants, and delivered to them his substance,

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

New American Bible
“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

NET Bible
"For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.

New Revised Standard Version
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;

New Heart English Bible
"For it is like a man, going on a journey, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered to them his goods.

Weymouth New Testament
"Why, it is like a man who, when going on his travels, called his bondservants and entrusted his property to their care.

World English Bible
“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them.

Young's Literal Translation
'For -- as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of the Talents
13Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15To 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.…

Cross References
Matthew 21:33
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

Luke 19:12
So He said, "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return.


Treasury of Scripture

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered to them his goods.

as.

Matthew 21:33
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Mark 13:34
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

Luke 19:12,13
He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return…

and delivered.

Luke 16:1-12
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods…

Romans 12:6-8
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; …

1 Corinthians 3:5
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

Jump to Previous
Abroad Bondmen Bondservants Care Country Deliver Delivered Entrusted Far Goods Heaven Journey Kingdom Possessions Property Servants Slaves Substance Together Traveling Travelling Travels
Jump to Next
Abroad Bondmen Bondservants Care Country Deliver Delivered Entrusted Far Goods Heaven Journey Kingdom Possessions Property Servants Slaves Substance Together Traveling Travelling Travels
Matthew 25
1. The parable of the ten virgins,
14. and of the talents.
31. Also the description of the last judgment.














(14) For the kingdom of heaven.--The italicised words are introduced for the sake of grammatical completeness. The Greek runs simply, "For as a man . . . called his own servants," with no formal close to the comparison. The parable thus introduced has obviously many points in common with that of the Pounds recorded by St. Luke (Luke 19:12-27), but the distinctive features of each are also so characteristic that it will be well to deal with each separately, and to reserve a comparison of the two till both have been interpreted.

The outward framework of the parable lies in the Eastern way of dealing with property in the absence of the owner. Two courses were open as an approximation to what we call investment. The more primitive and patriarchal way was for the absentee to make his slaves his agents. They were to till his land and sell the produce, or to use the money which he left with them as capital in trading. In such cases there was, of course, often an understanding that they should receive part of the profits, but being their master's slaves, there was no formal contract. The other course was to take advantage of the banking, money-changing, money-lending system, of which the Ph?nicians were the inventors, and which at the time was in full operation throughout the Roman empire The bankers received money on deposit and paid interest on it, and then lent it at a higher percentage, or employed it in trade, or (as did the publicani at Rome) in farming the revenues of a province. This was therefore the natural resource, as investment in stocks or companies is with us, for those who had not energy to engage in business.

Verses 14-30. - Parable of the talents. (Peculiar to St. Matthew.) Following on the lesson of watchfulness and inward personal preparation just given, this parable enforces the necessity of external work and man's accountability to God for the due use of the special endowments which he has received. The former was concerned chiefly with the contemplative life, the waiting virgins; this chiefly with the active, the working servant; though, in fact, both states combine more or less in the good Christian, and the perfect disciple will unite in himself the characteristics of John and Peter, Mary and Martha. St. Luke (Luke 19:11-27) has recorded a somewhat analogous parable spoken by Christ on leaving the house of Zacchaeus, known as the parable of the pounds; and some critics have deemed that the two accounts relate to the same saying altered in some details, which are to be accounted for on the hypothesis that St. Luke has combined with our parable another on the rebellious citizens. That there are great resemblances between the two cannot be disputed, but the discrepancies are too marked to allow us to assume the unity of the two utterances. Christ often repeats himself, using the same figure, or illustration, or expression to enforce different truths or different phases of the same truth, as here he may have desired more emphatically to impress on the disciples their special responsibilities. The variations in the two parables are briefly these: The scene and occasion are different; this was spoken to the disciples, that to the multitude; in one the lord is a noble who was to receive a kingdom, in the other he is simply a landowner; here his absence is a matter of local space, there it is a matter of time; the servants are ten in the one case, and three in the other; ill one we have pounds spoken of, in the other talents; in St. Luke each servant has the same sum delivered to him, in St. Matthew the amount is divided into talents, five, two, and one; in the "pounds" the servants show differing faithfulness with the same gifts, in the "talents" two of them display the same faithfulness with differing gifts; here the idle servant hides his money in a napkin, there he buries it in the earth; the conclusions also of the parables vary. Their object is not identical: the parable in our text illustrates the truth that we shall be judged according to that which we have received; the parable in St. Luke shows, to use Trench's words, that "as men differ in fidelity, in zeal, in labour, so will they differ in the amount of their spiritual gain." The latter treats of the use of gifts common to all, whether bodily, mental, or spiritual, such as one faith, one baptism, reason, conscience, sacraments, the Word of God; the former is concerned with the exercise of endowments which have been bestowed according to the recipient's capacity and his ability to make use of them, - the question being, how he has employed his powers, opportunities, and circumstances, the particular advantages, examples, and means of grace given to him. Verse 14. - For the kingdom of heaven is as a man The opening sentence in the original is anacoluthic, and our translators have supplied what they supposed to be wanting. The Greek has only, For just as a man, etc.; Vulgate, sicut enim homo. The other member of the comparison is not expressed. The Revised Version gives," It is as when a man." They who receive the possible interpolation at the end of ver. 13 would simply render, "For he (the Son of man) is as a man." The Authorized Version plainly affords the intended meaning in the words of the usual preface to such parables (ver. 1; Matthew 13:24, 31, etc.). The conjunction "for" carries us back to the Lord's solemn injunction, introducing a new illustration of the necessity of watchfulness. Travelling into a far country (ἀποδημῶν, leaving home). Here our Lord, being about to withdraw his bodily presence from the earth and to ascend into heaven, represents himself as a man going into another country, and first putting his affairs in order and issuing instructions to his servants (comp. Matthew 21:3; 5). Who called his own (τοὺς ἰδίους) servants. The sentence literally is, As a man... called his own bond servants. Those who specially belonged to him - a figure of all Christians, members of Christ, doing him service as their Master. Delivered unto them his goods (τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, his possessions). This was not an absolute gift, as we see from subsequent proceedings, and from the well known relation of master and slave. The latter, generally speaking, could possess no property, but he was often employed to administer his master's property for his lord's advantage, or was set up in business on capital advanced by his owner, paying him all or a certain share of the profits. The money still was not the slave's, and legally all that a slave acquired by whatsoever means belonged to his master, though custom had sanctioned a more equitable distribution. The "goods" delivered unto the lord's servants represent the special privileges accorded to them - differences of character, opportunities, education, etc., which they do not share in common with all men. This is one point, as above remarked, in which this parable varies from that of the "pounds." In both cases the gifts are figured by money - a medium current and intelligible everywhere on earth.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

[it] is just like
Ὥσπερ (Hōsper)
Adverb
Strong's 5618: Just as, as, even as. From hos and per; just as, i.e. Exactly like.

a man
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

going on a journey,
ἀποδημῶν (apodēmōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 589: To be away from home, go into another country, be away, be abroad. From apodemos; to go abroad, i.e. Visit a foreign land.

who called
ἐκάλεσεν (ekalesen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2564: (a) I call, summon, invite, (b) I call, name. Akin to the base of keleuo; to 'call'.

his
ἰδίους (idious)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2398: Pertaining to self, i.e. One's own; by implication, private or separate.

servants
δούλους (doulous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1401: (a) (as adj.) enslaved, (b) (as noun) a (male) slave. From deo; a slave.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

entrusted
παρέδωκεν (paredōken)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3860: From para and didomi; to surrender, i.e yield up, intrust, transmit.

them
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

with his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

possessions.
ὑπάρχοντα (hyparchonta)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5225: To begin, am, exist, be in possession. From hupo and archomai; to begin under, i.e. Come into existence; expletively, to exist (verb).


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NT Gospels: Matthew 25:14 For it is like a man going (Matt. Mat Mt)
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