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:
Matthew 25:24 in other translations
| BSB | Finally, 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. |
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| WEB | “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. |
| ASV | And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; |
| YLT | ‘And he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering from whence thou didst not scatter; |
| DARBY | And he also that had received the one talent coming to him said, My lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hadst not sowed, and gathering from where thou hadst not scattered, |
| BBE | And he who had had the one talent came and said, Lord, I had knowledge that you are a hard man, getting in grain where you have not put seed, and making profits for which you have done no work: |
| Webster | Then he who had received the one talent came, and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: |
What does Matthew 25:24 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain
Barnes' Notes
An hard man. Of a sordid, griping disposition; taking advantage of the poor, and oppressing them.
Reaping, etc. This is indicative of an avaricious and overbearing disposition. Compelling the poor to sow for him, and reaping all the benefit himself.
Hast not strawed. The word strew means to scatter--as men scatter seed in sowing it. It may mean also to ventilate, or to fan by ventilating, or winnowing. As sowing the seed is mentioned just before, it may be that this refers to gathering grain fanned or winnowed by others, while he did nothing--indicating also a hard or sordid disposition.
(o) "hard man" Job 21:15 (p) "sown" Jer 2:31
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 25:14-30
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have done to others, by the advantages we have…
Matthew 25:24 in the original Greek
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Cross references for Matthew 25:24
- Luke 19:20-22
And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
- 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 never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
- 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 Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
- 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? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. …
- 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; we will come no more unto thee?
- 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. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
- Romans 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
- Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
- Romans 9:20
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
- Matthew 20:12
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
- Malachi 1:12-13
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.
- Luke 6:46
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lord.
7:21; Lu 6:46
I knew.
20:12; Job 21:14,15; Isa 58:3; Jer 2:31; 44:16-18; Eze 18:25-29
Mal 1:12,13; 3:14,15; Lu 15:29; 19:20-22; Ro 8:7; 9:20
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Matthew 25:23
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
- 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:
- Matthew 25:25
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Matthew 25:24 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Y llegando también el que había recibido un talento, dijo: Señor, te conocía que eres hombre duro, que siegas donde no sembraste, y recoges donde no esparciste; |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et celui qui avait reçu un talent vint aussi et dit: Maître, je te connaissais, que tu es un homme dur, moissonnant où tu n’as pas semé et recueillant où tu n’as pas répandu; |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Es trat aber auch herzu, der das eine Talent empfangen hatte, und sprach: Herr, ich kannte dich, daß du ein harter Mann bist: du erntest, wo du nicht gesät, und sammelst, wo du nicht ausgestreut hast; |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Accedens autem et qui unum talentum acceperat, ait: Domine, scio quia homo durus es; metis ubi non seminasti, et congregas ubi non sparsisti: |