New International Version So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ New Living Translation I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ English Standard Version so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ Berean Standard Bible So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ Berean Literal Bible And having been afraid, having gone away, I hid your talent in the ground. Behold, you have what is yours.’ King James Bible And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. New King James Version And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ New American Standard Bible And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’ NASB 1995 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ NASB 1977 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.’ Legacy Standard Bible And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ Amplified Bible So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.’ Berean Annotated Bible So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See (behold), you have what belongs to you. Christian Standard Bible So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ Holman Christian Standard Bible So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’ American Standard Version and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. Contemporary English Version I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!" English Revised Version and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. GOD'S WORD® Translation I was afraid. So I hid your two thousand dollars in the ground. Here's your money!' Good News Translation I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you.' International Standard Version Since I was afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here, take what's yours!' NET Bible so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' New Heart English Bible I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. See, you have what is yours.' Webster's Bible Translation And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast what is thine. Weymouth New Testament So being afraid I went and buried your talent in the ground: there you have what belongs to you.' Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleSo I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ World English Bible I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand having been afraid, having gone away, I hid your talent in the earth; behold, you have your own! Berean Literal Bible And having been afraid, having gone away, I hid your talent in the ground. Behold, you have what is yours.’ Young's Literal Translation and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own! Smith's Literal Translation And having been afraid, having gone away, I concealed thy talent in the earth; see, thou hast thine own. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd being afraid I went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which is thine. Catholic Public Domain Version And so, being afraid, I went out and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ New American Bible so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ New Revised Standard Version so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleSo I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground; here it is, it is your own one. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And I was afraid, and I went and buried your talent in the ground. Behold, it is yours.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth; see, you have yours. Godbey New Testament Haweis New Testament and being afraid, I went and hid thy talent in the ground: see here, thou hast thine own. Mace New Testament fear made me hide the talent under ground: but there you have what is your own. Weymouth New Testament So being afraid I went and buried your talent in the ground: there you have what belongs to you.' Worrell New Testament Worsley New Testament Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context The Parable of the Talents…24Finally, 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. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ 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.… Cross References So I was afraid Luke 19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’ Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. and went out and hid your talent in the ground. Luke 19:20 Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field. See, you have what belongs to you.’ Matthew 20:14 Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Luke 19:23 Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’ 1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Matthew 13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered. Proverbs 26:13 The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!” Proverbs 22:13 The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!” James 2:17 So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Treasury of Scripture And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: see, there you have that is yours. 2 Samuel 6:9,10 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? … Proverbs 26:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. Isaiah 57:11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not? Jump to Previous Afraid Belongs Buried Earth Fear Ground Hid TalentJump to Next Afraid Belongs Buried Earth Fear Ground Hid TalentMatthew 25 1. The parable of the ten virgins,14. and of the talents. 31. Also the description of the last judgment. So I was afraid The servant’s fear revealed that he did not trust his master’s character or act responsibly with what had been entrusted to him. Rather than serving faithfully, he allowed fear to govern his response. Luk 19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man… and went out and hid your talent in the ground. Burying valuables was a known way of protecting wealth in the ancient world, but the servant used it to avoid responsibility. The talent represented a substantial trust, and hiding it showed unwillingness to use the opportunity and resources given to him. Luk 19:20 Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, … See, you have what belongs to you.’ He returned the original amount intact, but offered no increase. His defense exposed a false view of stewardship: he believed preservation was enough, while the master expected faithful service that produced results. Mat 20:14 Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same… Persons / Places / Events 1. The MasterRepresents God or Christ, who entrusts His servants with resources and responsibilities. 2. The Servant Symbolizes believers who are given talents or gifts by God to use for His glory. 3. The Talent A large sum of money in biblical times, symbolizing the gifts, abilities, and opportunities God gives to each believer. 4. The Ground Represents the act of hiding or not utilizing the gifts and opportunities given by God. 5. The Return The moment of accountability when the servant must present what he has done with the talent. Teaching Points Stewardship and ResponsibilityGod entrusts each believer with unique gifts and expects us to use them for His kingdom. Overcoming Fear Fear can paralyze us and prevent us from fulfilling God's purpose. We must trust in God's provision and strength. Accountability to God There will be a time when we must account for how we have used what God has given us. We should live with this accountability in mind. Faith in Action True faith is demonstrated through action. We must actively engage in using our talents for God's glory. Eternal Perspective Our actions on earth have eternal consequences. We should invest our talents with eternity in mind. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Matthew 25:25?2. How does fear hinder us from using our God-given talents effectively? 3. What does Matthew 25:25 teach about accountability for our actions? 4. How can we overcome fear to serve God more faithfully? 5. Which other scriptures emphasize using our talents for God's glory? 6. How can you apply Matthew 25:25 in your daily walk with Christ? 7. Why did the servant in Matthew 25:25 hide the talent instead of investing it? 8. How does fear influence our actions according to Matthew 25:25? 9. What does Matthew 25:25 teach about responsibility and accountability? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 25? (25) And I was afraid.--The words are those of simulated rather than real fear. That would have led him to shrink from the unfaithful service which was sure to draw down his master's anger. The excuse did but cover the implied taunt that he dared not venture anything in the service of a master who would make no allowance for intentions where the result was failure. So, in the life of the soul, a man wanting in the spirit of loyalty and trust contents himself with making no use of opportunities, and therefore they are to him as though they were not, except that they increase his guilt and his condemnation.Verse 25. - I was afraid. He took as certain the conception which he had formed of his master's character, as harsh, exacting, and unsympathizing, and therefore feared to speculate with his money, or to put it to any use whereby it might be lost or diminished. This is his excuse for negligence. He endeavours to cast the fault from his own shoulders to those of his superior. So evil men persuade themselves that God asks from them more than they can perform, and content themselves by doing nothing; or they consider that their powers and means are their own, to use or not as they like, and that no one can call them to account for the way in which they treat them. Hid thy talent in the earth (see on ver. 18). Put it away for safety, that it might come to no harm, and not be employed for evil purposes. He recognizes not any duty owed to the giver in the possession of the money, nor the responsibility for work which it imposed. Lo, there thou hast that is thine; lo! thou hast thy own. This is sheer insolence; as if he had said, "You cannot complain; I have not stolen or lost your precious money; here it is intact, just as I received it." What a perverse mistaken view of his own position and of God's nature! The talent was given to him, not to bury, but to use and improve for his lord's profit. Hidden away, it was wasted. The time, too, during which he had the talent in his possession was wasted; he had not honestly used it in his master's service, or laboured, as he was bound to do. He ought to have had much more to show than the original endowment. To vaunt that, if he had done no good, at least he had done no harm, is condemnation. He might not thus shirk his responsibility. His answer only aggravated his fault. Matthew 25:25 exposes a heart paralyzed by fear, distancing itself from the Master, burying God-given resources, and settling for zero growth. Scripture consistently shows that faith acts, invests, and multiplies what the Lord entrusts. Playing it “safe” is unsafe in the kingdom; God expects courageous stewardship that turns His gifts into fruitful service for His glory. Parallel Commentaries ... Greek Soκαὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. in my fear, φοβηθεὶς (phobētheis) Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 5399: From phobos; to frighten, i.e. to be alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of, i.e. Revere. I went [and] ἀπελθὼν (apelthōn) Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 565: From apo and erchomai; to go off, aside or behind, literally or figuratively. hid ἔκρυψα (ekrypsa) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular Strong's 2928: To hide, conceal, lay up. A primary verb; to conceal. your σου (sou) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou. talent τάλαντόν (talanton) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 5007: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the original form of tlao; a balance, i.e. a certain weight or 'talent'. in ἐν (en) Preposition Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. the τῇ (tē) Article - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. ground. γῇ (gē) Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe. See, ἴδε (ide) Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo! you have ἔχεις (echeis) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold. what [belongs] τὸ (to) Article - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. to you.’ σόν (son) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 2nd Person Singular Strong's 4674: Yours, thy, thine. From su; thine. Additonal Resources Matthew 25:25 Blue Letter BibleMatthew 25:25 Bible Gateway Matthew 25:25 Bible.com Matthew 25:25 NIV |
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