Luke 19:23 kjv
Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
Luke 19:23 nkjv
Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'
Luke 19:23 niv
Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
Luke 19:23 esv
Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'
Luke 19:23 nlt
why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.'
Luke 19 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 25:27 | "You ought therefore to have invested my money with the bankers, and at... interest." | Parallel parable; master expects investment. |
| Matt 25:30 | "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness..." | Consequence for unprofitable stewardship. |
| Luke 12:48 | "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required..." | Principle of accountability for responsibility. |
| Rom 14:12 | "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." | Individual accountability to God. |
| 2 Cor 5:10 | "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ..." | Accountability for actions done in the body. |
| 1 Pet 4:10 | "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another..." | Expectation to use spiritual gifts. |
| Prov 6:6 | "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." | Condemnation of laziness/sloth. |
| Prov 24:30-34 | "I passed by the field of a sluggard... behold, it was all overgrown..." | Consequences of neglecting one's duties. |
| Isa 5:1-7 | Parable of the Vineyard, looking for fruit... | God's expectation of fruitfulness from His people. |
| John 15:2 | "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away..." | Imperative for believers to bear spiritual fruit. |
| Gen 2:15 | "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it..." | Man's initial purpose involved active stewardship. |
| Rom 12:6-8 | Enumeration of different gifts for service... | Diversity of gifts but all for service. |
| 1 Cor 4:2 | "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." | Trustworthiness is a key trait for stewards. |
| Phil 4:17 | "...I seek the fruit that increases to your credit." | Paul speaks of a return from investments in ministry. |
| 2 Thess 3:10 | "...If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." | Principle against idleness. |
| Heb 2:1-3 | "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" | Warning against neglecting divine provisions. |
| Ezek 3:18-20 | Warning a wicked man/righteous man about turning away... | Accountability for failing to warn others. |
| Zeph 1:12 | "...I will punish the men who are complacent, who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good...'" | Judgment for spiritual complacency/apathy. |
| James 2:17-18 | "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." | Faith without action is insufficient. |
| Luke 16:10 | "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much..." | Faithfulness in small matters is indicative of character. |
| Deut 23:19-20 | Prohibition on charging interest to a brother. | Contrast with commercial lending, cultural context of banking. |
| Jer 32:9-14 | Jeremiah buys a field, records deed, keeps in earthenware jar. | Cultural practice of securing investments for future. |
Luke 19 verses
Luke 19 23 Meaning
The master's rhetorical question in Luke 19:23 confronts the servant who buried the entrusted mina. It underscores the servant's lack of initiative and faithful stewardship, exposing his idleness. Even by his own stated view of the master's demanding nature, the minimum reasonable action would have been to deposit the money for safe, albeit small, gain. This highlights accountability for resources and talents given, even for those with minimal capacity, implying that spiritual resources must be used productively for God's Kingdom.
Luke 19 23 Context
Luke 19:23 is spoken by the nobleman (representing Jesus) in the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27). This parable is told as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, amidst popular expectation that the Kingdom of God would immediately appear. To counter this misconception, Jesus teaches that there will be a delay, during which His followers must faithfully engage with the resources (minae/talents, representing opportunities, gifts, time, spiritual truths) entrusted to them. The verse specifically forms part of the master's rebuke to the third servant, who, out of fear and sloth, merely hid the one mina he received. The master's statement exposes the illogic and inadequacy of the servant's inaction, highlighting that even minimal effort for gain would have been superior to burying the money.
Luke 19 23 Word analysis
- "Why" (Dia): A strong interrogative, seeking justification or reason. It expresses disbelief and reproof for the servant's illogical inaction given his own premises.
- "then" (kai): Emphasizes the logical flow: "If you believed X about me, then why didn't you do Y?" It points to the direct implication of the servant's erroneous judgment.
- "did you not put" (ebales): Greek, ballō meaning "to cast, throw, deposit." This indicates a simple, straightforward action. The use of aorist tense implies a completed, definite omission. The servant neglected even this most basic and accessible action.
- "my money" (to argurion mou): Argurion (silver coin, money). It emphasizes the master's ownership. The resource was not the servant's to simply hoard; it was entrusted to him, still belonging to the master, and required to be managed for the master's benefit.
- "in the bank" (epi trapezan): Lit. "on the table." Trapeza refers to a banker's table or counter, hence "bank" or "money-changer's booth." This was a common, low-risk, and universally understood method for earning modest interest. It required minimal effort and risk on the part of the servant, far less than direct investment or trade.
- "and at my coming" (kagō elthōn): "And I, having come." This phrase highlights the inevitability of the master's return and the period of accountability. It directly points to the Lord's return and the reckoning for faithful (or unfaithful) stewardship.
- "I might have collected it" (an epraxan): From prassō, which can mean "to do, effect, collect." Here, it means to demand or collect what is due. It signifies the master's right to expect a return on his investment. The construction an + aorist indicative conveys potential or expected action given a certain condition.
- "with interest" (syn tokō): Syn (with) and tokos (interest, lit. "offspring"). Tokos refers to the "birth" or "increase" yielded by money. It represents the standard return on an investment or deposit. This implies the expectation of any, even minimal, growth from the entrusted capital.
Words-group analysis:
- "Why then did you not...?": A strong rhetorical challenge. The master is using the servant's own stated belief (that the master was a harsh man who reaped where he did not sow) against him. If the servant truly believed this, the least he could have done was to place the money where it would gain interest, avoiding further disfavor for completely squandering it.
- "put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?": This phrase emphasizes the minimum standard of expected stewardship. Even for someone averse to risk or convinced of the owner's harshness, the simple act of depositing funds for passive growth was accessible and responsible. The absence of this minimal effort reveals profound negligence and a disregard for the owner's interests, contrasting with the productive use of resources demanded of disciples.
Luke 19 23 Bonus section
The master's question points to a missed opportunity born of misunderstanding and fear, rather than outright malice. The servant's problem was not that he lost the money, but that he utterly failed to employ it, even minimally. This underscores the theological point that mere inaction can be as detrimental as active transgression in God's eyes when it comes to faithful stewardship of His kingdom. The common Jewish Law forbidding usury (interest on loans) usually applied to impoverished fellow Israelites (e.g., Exod 22:25; Deut 23:19-20; Lev 25:35-37). However, commercial loans, or deposits with non-Israelites (or bankers), operated under different social customs. In the Roman context, using trapezitai (money changers/bankers) was a standard commercial practice. The master's expectation was therefore culturally relevant and not a violation of moral law, serving as a reasonable minimum standard. The verse thereby criticizes spiritual apathy and lack of entrepreneurial spirit in God's service.
Luke 19 23 Commentary
Luke 19:23 represents a pointed rebuke from the master to the fearful and unproductive servant. The master, in his critique, does not refute the servant's characterization of him as "severe," but instead uses it a fortiori to condemn the servant's inaction. If the servant truly believed the master was demanding and expected a return where little was invested, then the logical minimum for survival or favor would have been to generate some, even small, profit. The bank (or trapeza) was a place for low-risk, passive growth. The servant’s failure to do even this underscores his idleness, his misplaced fear leading to paralysis, and his ultimate spiritual unpreparedness. The parable teaches that merely "preserving" what God has given, without attempting to make it fruitful in His service, is not enough. God expects diligence and growth from what He entrusts to us, even from our most modest gifts and opportunities. This includes time, spiritual truth, and all the means provided for His kingdom work. The core lesson is one of accountability, active stewardship, and the expectation of return on divine investment in our lives.