Matthew 25:14-15

The Parable of the Talents

25:14 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves ¹  and entrusted his property to them. 25:15 To ²  one he gave five talents, ³  to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

Mark 13:34

13:34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves ⁴  in charge, assigning ⁵  to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert.

Luke 19:12

19:12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman ⁶  went to a distant country to receive ⁷  for himself a kingdom and then return. ⁸ 

¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

³ sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.

⁴ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

⁵ tn Grk “giving.”

⁶ tn Grk “a man of noble birth” or “a man of noble status” (L&N 87.27).

⁷ sn Note that the receiving of the kingdom takes place in the far country. This suggests that those in the far country recognize and acknowledge the king when his own citizens did not want him as king (v. 14; cf. John 1:11-12).

⁸ sn The background to this story about the nobleman who went…to receive for himself a kingdom had some parallels in the area’s recent history: Archelaus was appointed ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea in 4 b.c., but the people did not like him. Herod the Great also made a similar journey to Rome where he was crowned King of Judea in 40 b.c., although he was not able to claim his kingdom until 37 b.c.