Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 25:28
Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents.
God often in this life deprives men and women of those gifts which he hath given them, and they do not make use of for the glory of his name, and the good of their and others souls, the great ends for which he hath entrusted them with them. But this seems not to be here intended, this text referring to the day of judgment: all therefore that we are to understand by this is; That no mans gifts, whether of nature or providence, of what advantage soever they have been to him in this life, will be of any profit to him in the day of judgment, unless he hath in this life used them to the ends for which God gave them. In that day he will lose all; and the glory of heaven shall not be the portion of them that have had great talents of learning, wit, riches, honours, spiritual gifts, or any thing of that nature, but of those only who have used these things to the honour and glory of God, and to the advantage of their own and others souls. For all those that have been unprofitable, hell will be their portion at last, where their misery will be, as of those that live in extreme darkness, continual weeping and gnashing of teeth. The substance of what is in Mat 25:29 we met with Mat 13:12,
To him that hath shall be given, & c.; but I think the proverbial speech here is applied differently from the application of it there. There, him that hath seemeth to signify, him that hath an actual possession; for it is said before,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. So that I take that text to contain a promise of the increase of grace to those that have the seed of God; whereas the appearances of it in others shall not last, but vanish away. Here, plainly, him that hath signifieth, him that maketh a good and true use of what he hath; and thus the parable expounds it. So as the sense is, He that hath any talents from God, and maketh use of them, and improves them for the honour and glory of God, shall be rewarded with further gifts of grace or glory. But if a man hath not, that is, hath, but is as if he had not, making no use of what he hath for the glory of God, those gifts and talents which he hath shall be of no profit and advantage, but miserable disadvantage to him at last.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Take therefore the talent from him,…. This shows it was not special grace, which is intended by the talent; for the gift and calling of special grace are without repentance, and are that good part which shall not be taken away: but gifts may fail, cease, and vanish; they may be taken away from men, and men from them; a right arm may be clean dried up, and a right eye be utterly darkened:
and give it unto him which hath ten talents; for to diligent and laborious ministers of the word, more spiritual light and knowledge is given: but this is not to be understood, as though other men’s gifts are, properly speaking, taken away from them, and bestowed on them; but that their gifts appear the more illustrious through the slothfulness of others.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(28) Take therefore the talent from him.The sentence passed on the slothful servant confirms the view which sees in the talents the external opportunities given to a man for the use of his abilities. The abilities themselves cannot be thus transferred; the opportunities can, and often are, even in the approximate working out of the law of retribution which we observe on earth. Here also men give to him that hath, and faithful work is rewarded by openings for work of a higher kind. So, assuming a law, if not of continuity, at least of analogy, to work behind the veil, we may see in our Lords words that one form of the penalty of the slothful will be to see work which might have been theirs to do, done by those who have been faithful while on earth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Take therefore the talent from him Take from him all farther probation and chance for doing service.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.”
So his sentence was twofold. Firstly that he should lose what had been entrusted to him, simply because he could not be trusted to use it properly. He was rather to see it given away to another who had proved to be more worthy of it, and would use it properly. Secondly that he be sent away for severe punishment. He had said, ‘Take it.’ And so his Lord would. And then his Lord revealed His own generous nature by giving it to the one who had ten talents, exposing once for all the calumnies of the wicked servant.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 25:28-29. Take therefore the talent from him Thus Christ will strip graceless persons, whether ministers or people, of all the good things he bestowed upon them; and will confer signal blessings on them who are eminently faithful and diligent in the exercise of their gifts and graces, for his glory, and the good of his church. By having, Mat 25:29 is meant improving, or making a right use of a thing. See ch. Mat 13:10-13. A man is said not to have what he does not make use of: Avaro tam deest quod habet, quam quod non habet: a covetous man is as destitute of what he has, as of what he has not. St. Chrysostome observes, that it availed not this slothful servant that he wasted not his Lord’s talent; but this ruined himthat he returned it not improved with increase. See the Inferences.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 25:28-30 . ] because his conduct was so inexcusable.
Mat 25:29 . Justification of this mode of proceeding, by appealing to a principle founded on universal experience, and which was to find its verification in the case before us. Comp. Mat 13:12 .
] see critical remarks. The genitive, here placed first for sake of emphasis, might be regarded as dependent on (Fritzsche), in accordance, that is, with the construction of verbs of depriving with (Khner, II. 1, p. 282). Inasmuch, however, as the which follows would thus be superfluous and clumsy, it is better to take the genitive as absolute: as for him who has not (the poor man); comp. Thuc. v. 18. 8, and Krger thereon. We thus obtain “duobus membris factis ex uno oppositio nervosior ” (Dissen, ad Dem. de cor . p. 272). For , the rich man , comp. Isocr. vii. 55 and Benseler thereon.
For Mat 25:30 , comp. Mat 8:12 , Mat 13:42 ; Mat 13:50 , Mat 22:13 , Mat 24:51 . The verse is not here out of place, but acquires a certain solemnity from its resemblance to the conclusion of ch. 24. (in opposition to Weiss, 1864, p. 129).
Teaching of the parable .
By a faithful use, after my departure, of those varied endowments which I have bestowed on each of you according to his special capacity, you are to do your utmost to promote my cause. For when I return and reckon with you (Mat 25:19 ), then those who have exerted themselves in a dutiful manner will receive a distinguished reward in the kingdom of the Messiah; but those who have allowed their gifts, however small, to lie unused, will be deprived of that which has been entrusted to them, and be cast into Gehenna. For more minute and specific interpretations, all of them of a more or less arbitrary character, see Origen, Chrysostom, Theophylact. The reference to all Christian endowments generally (1Co 12 ), is to be regarded rather as an application of the parable in a more comprehensive sense.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Ver. 28. Take therefore the talent from him ] God will take his own, and be gone from an unworthy people or person, Hos 2:9 . The idol shepherd’s “arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened,” Zec 11:17 . It is no hard matter to observe a wane and decay of God’s gifts in them that use them not; till at last, Zedekiah like, they may say, “When did the Spirit depart from me?” 1Ki 22:24 . And as many of Ishbosheth’s friends shrank together with Abner, so do men’s abilities fail amain, when once they begin to fail, till at last God lays them aside, as so many broken vessels, and cause them to be forgotten, as dead men out of mind, Psa 31:21 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
28 31. ] This command is answered in Luk 19:25 , by a remonstrance from those addressed, which the Master overrules by stating the great law of his Kingdom. In ch. Mat 13:12 we have explained this as applied to the system of teaching by parables . Here it is predicated of the whole Christian life. It is the case even in nature: a limb used is strengthened; disused, becomes weak. The transference of the talent is not a matter of justice between man and man, but is done in illustration of this law, and in virtue of that sovereign power by which God does what He will with his own: see Rom 11:29 , and note there.
In . . there is again an allusion to the marriage supper of the Lamb, from which the useless servant being excluded, gnashes his teeth with remorse without: see ch. Mat 22:13 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 25:28 . , etc., take the one talent from the man who made no use of it; and give it to the man who will make most use of it.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
from = away from. Greek. apo. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
28-31.] This command is answered in Luk 19:25, by a remonstrance from those addressed, which the Master overrules by stating the great law of his Kingdom. In ch. Mat 13:12 we have explained this as applied to the system of teaching by parables. Here it is predicated of the whole Christian life. It is the case even in nature: a limb used is strengthened; disused, becomes weak. The transference of the talent is not a matter of justice between man and man, but is done in illustration of this law, and in virtue of that sovereign power by which God does what He will with his own: see Rom 11:29, and note there.
In . . there is again an allusion to the marriage supper of the Lamb, from which the useless servant being excluded, gnashes his teeth with remorse without: see ch. Mat 22:13.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 10:42, Luk 19:24
Reciprocal: Mar 4:25 – General Luk 19:26 – That unto
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5:28
The lord wished his money to be put to some use so as to bring him proper returns. The man with the ten talents at hand when the accounting was made had proved his good business judgment and hence was entrusted with this other one.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 25:28. Take ye away therefore the talent from him. This command will be given, whether the latter be a spiritual or temporal gift.
Give it unto him that hath the ten talents. Comp. Luk 19:25, where this command is questioned. This act of judgment on the slothful servant becomes an act of mercy to the faithful one.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
These words contain the sentence denounced by Christ upon the slothful servant: his punishment is first a punishment of loss: Take ye the talent from him.
Learn hence, That not improving the gifts of God given as talents to us, provokes God to take them from us, as well as misimproving. From him that hath not; that is, from him that improveth not, shall be taken that which he hath.
2. Follows the punishment of sense: Cast him into outer darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Learn thence, That hell is a place and state of inexpressible misery and torment; a dismal place, as being deprived of the sight and enjoyment of God, of Christ, of saints, and of angels; a doleful place, full of over-whelming sorrow and despairing grief. The gnashing of their teeth, signifies their being full of rage and indignation against God, against the saints, and against themselves.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 25:28-29. Take therefore the talent from him Ye angels, the ministers of my will, take from him the blessing which he has thus abused, and give it unto him which hath ten talents As a further token of my acceptance and favour. The master, who in disposing of the talents at first acted as an absolute owner and bountiful benefactor, now acts as a judge, and takes the talent from the unfaithful servant to punish him, and gives it to him that was eminently faithful, to reward him. And this may be applied, 1st, To any of the blessings of this life, such as wealth, honour, authority over others, health, strength, &c. Men are intrusted with these, that they may use them for the glory of God, and the good of their fellow-creatures: and he that conscientiously uses them for these ends, (which is signified in the next verse by having them; that is, having them to a good purpose,) shall have abundance, perhaps, of these things themselves, but if not, abundance of comfort in them, and of better things; but from him that hath not That is, that hath these things as if he had them not, not doing good with them; they shall be taken away. Giving to the poor, and in other ways doing good with our talents, is trading with what we have, and the returns will be rich. The meal in the barrel, and the oil in the cruise will be multiplied, 1Ki 17:14; but those that are niggardly and uncharitable will find that those riches which are so acquired and hoarded, Will perish by evil travail, or are kept by the owners thereof to their hurt, Ecc 5:13-14. And it often happens that Providence strangely transfers property from those that do not do good with it to those that do. And other gifts and endowments are frequently taken from those who do not employ them according to the design of the great Master, and are given to others who are disposed to make a better use of them. 2d, We may apply it to the means of grace. They who are diligent in improving the opportunities and advantages they have, may expect to have them continued and increased; but they who know not and improve not the day of their visitation, shall have the things that belong to their peace hid from their eyes. In proof of this, see what God did first to Shiloh, and then to Jerusalem, and to the churches of the Lesser Asia, mentioned Revelation 2., 3. 3d, We may apply it to spiritual gifts. He that hath these, and doth good with them, shall retain them and find them greatly enlarged, for they will improve by exercise, and brighten by use: but as to those who stir not up the gift that is in them, who do not exert themselves according to their capacity, their gifts rust and decay, and die away like a neglected fire.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Rather than giving this servant increased responsibility, the master took back the talent he had entrusted to him. Rather than blessing him with the joy of fellowship with the master, the slave had to depart from his master’s presence. Mat 25:29 expresses a kingdom principle that Jesus had formerly explained (Mat 13:12; cf. Mat 21:43). The master removed the slave’s opportunity to serve him further. He declared him "worthless" (Mat 25:30) because he had failed to do his master’s will with what the master gave him to use. This resulted in the loss of his resources, rejection by the master, banishment from his presence, tears, and gnashing of teeth.
Does the unfaithful slave represent a believing or an unbelieving Jew in the Tribulation? In view of the punishment he received he must be an unbeliever (cf. Mat 13:12). [Note: Darby, 3:131; Pagenkemper, pp. 194-98.] Everywhere else in Matthew’s Gospel where the phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth" occurs it refers to the final condition of unbelievers (Mat 8:12; Mat 13:42; Mat 13:50; Mat 22:13; Mat 24:51). The darkness outside (Mat 25:30) contrasts with the joy inside the messianic banquet and kingdom (Mat 25:21; Mat 25:23).
"The last three parables give practical instructions in the light of the King’s coming to judge and to reign. The principle which underlies each is the same one which was given in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 7:16-21). The fruit of faithfulness and preparedness would indicate the character of those living in the days before His coming. In each parable, character is manifested by works. This thought forms the key to the following passage which deals with the judgment of the nations (Mat 25:31-46)." [Note: Toussaint, Behold the . . ., p. 288.]
This concludes the section of the Olivet Discourse in which Jesus taught His disciples their responsibilities in view of His coming and the end of the present age (Mat 24:32 to Mat 25:30). He stressed the importance of vigilance with four parables (Mat 24:32-44) and the importance of prudence and faithfulness with three parables (Mat 24:43 to Mat 25:30).