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.

Matthew 21:33

The Parable of the Tenants

21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner ⁴  who planted a vineyard. ⁵  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ⁶  he leased it to tenant farmers ⁷  and went on a journey.

[25:14]  ¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[25:15]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:15]  ³ sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.

[21:33]  ³ tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.

[21:33]  ⁴ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[21:33]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[21:33]  ⁶ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.