Matthew 25:24

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Then	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
he which had received	εἰληφὼς eilēphōs	G2983	while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent · verb — second perfect active participle, nominative singular masculine
the	τάλαντον talanton	G5007	equivalent to G5342 (φέρω)) · noun — accusative singular neuter
one	ἓν hen	G1520	one · adjective — accusative singular neuter
talent	τάλαντον tálanton	G5007	equivalent to G5342 (φέρω))
came	προσελθὼν proselthōn	G4334	to approach · verb — second aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine
and said	εἶπεν· eipen	G2036	to speak or say (by word or writing) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
Lord	κύριε, kurie	G2962	supreme in authority · noun — vocative singular masculine
I knew	ἔγνων egnōn	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — second aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
thee	σέ sé	G4571	thee
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
thou art	εἶ eî	G1488	thou art
an	ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — nominative singular masculine
hard	σκληρὸς sklēros	G4642	dry · adjective — nominative singular masculine
man	ἄνθρωπος ánthrōpos	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))
reaping	θερίζων therizōn	G2325	to harvest · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
where	ὅπου hopou	G3699	what(-ever) where · conjunction
thou hast	ἔσπειρας espeiras	G4687	to scatter · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person singular
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
sown	σπείρω speírō	G4687	to scatter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
gathering	συνάγων sunagōn	G4863	to lead together · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
where	ὅθεν hothen	G3606	from which place or source or cause (adverb or conjunct… · conjunction
thou hast	διεσκόρπισας· dieskorpisas	G1287	to dissipate · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person singular
not	οὐ ou	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
strawed	διασκορπίζω diaskorpízō	G1287	to dissipate

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Luke 19:20-22 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Malachi 3:14-15 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the…
Luke 15:29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou…
Jeremiah 2:31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords;…
Ezekiel 18:25-29 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
Job 21:14-15 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Isaiah 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the d…
Jeremiah 44:16-18 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

John Gill on Matthew 25:24

Then he which had received the one talent came,.... For he that has the least gifts, is accountable for them; and therefore ought to make use of them to the good of his fellow creatures, and the interest of his Lord and Master; though these often lie neglected, and frivolous, and even wicked pretences are formed to excuse such neglect, as here: and said, Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man; he calls him "Lord", though he had not served him, and pretends he knew him; but if he had, he would have had a true affection for him, faith in him, and would have observed his commands; and he would also have appeared altogether lovely to him, and of an amiable character, and not in such a light as…

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John Calvin on Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30 Matthew 25:14-30 Luke 19:11-28 14. For as a certain man, setting out on a journey, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods. 15. And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one; to every one according to his own ability; and immediately set out. 16. And he who had received five talents went away and traded with them, and amassed other five talents. 17. And likewise he who had received two, he also gained other two. 18. But he who had received one went away, and dug in the earth, and hid his master's money. 19. And after a long time the master of those servant cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20. And he who had received five talents, say…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 25:24

I knew you were . . . harsh: A false understanding of his master becomes this servant’s excuse for laziness.

Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Clarke, Gill, Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch are in the public domain; Tyndale Open Study Notes © Tyndale House Publishers, CC BY-SA 4.0 — all from the Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org). Rashi: the Rosenbaum & Silbermann Pentateuch (public domain) and the Judaica Press and Metsudah Tanakh (CC BY), via Sefaria. Spurgeon's Treasury of David: public domain (lyteword's markdown edition, CC0).

The Church Fathers

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 3.) The servant who would not trade with his talent returns to his Lord with words of excuse.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(ubi sup.) But there are many within the Church of whom this servant is a type, who fear to set out on the path of a better life, and yet are not afraid to continue in carnal indolence; they esteem themselves sinners, and therefore tremble to take up the paths of holiness, but fearlessly remain in their own iniquities.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Or, By this servant is understood the Jewish people which continues in the Law, and says I was afraid of thee, as through fear of the old commandments abstaining from the exercise of evangelical liberty; and it says, Lo, there is that is thine, as though it had continued in those things which the Lord commanded, when yet it knew that the fruits of righteousness should be reaped there, where the Law had not been sown, and that there should be gathered from among the Gentiles some who were not scattered of the seed of Abraham.
— Hilary of Poitiers ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Churl — In Isa. 32:5 (R.V. marg., “crafty”), means a deceiver. In 1 Sam. 25:3, the word churlish denotes a man that is coarse and ill-natured, or, as the word literally means, “hard.” The same Greek word as…
Judgment, The final — The sentence that will be passed on our actions at the last day (Matt. 25; Rom. 14:10, 11; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). The judge is Jesus Christ, as mediator. All judgment is committed to him…
Civil Service · APPOINTMENT IN, ON ACCOUNT OF MERIT — APPOINTMENT IN, ON ACCOUNT OF MERIT
Gifts From God · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO BOTH TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO BOTH TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL
Gifts Of God, The · Illustrated — Illustrated
Infidelity · 1:12; — 1:12;
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Kingdom Of Heaven · and — and
Opportunity · THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY — THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Parables · Parables of christ: Talents — Parables of christ: Talents
Probation · Taught in parables of the talents and pounds — Taught in parables of the talents and pounds
Responsibility · ACCORDING TO PRIVILEGE — ACCORDING TO PRIVILEGE