Matthew 25 25

Matthew 25:25 kjv

And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

Matthew 25:25 nkjv

And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'

Matthew 25:25 niv

So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

Matthew 25:25 esv

so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.'

Matthew 25:25 nlt

I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.'

Matthew 25 verses

Matthew 25 25 Meaning

Matthew 25:25 is spoken by the servant who received one talent in the Parable of the Talents. It reveals his motive and method for handling the master's money: he was afraid, went away, and buried the talent in the ground, subsequently presenting only the original sum. This verse encapsulates a critical failure in stewardship, driven by fear and resulting in inactivity and unproductivity, directly opposing the master's expectation of diligent investment and growth.

Matthew 25 25 Context

The Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30) is part of Jesus's Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), delivered shortly before His crucifixion. This discourse is Jesus's comprehensive teaching on the end times, His second coming, and the final judgment. Chapter 25 specifically focuses on preparedness and faithfulness for the Master's return, illustrated by three parables: the Ten Virgins (vigilance), the Talents (stewardship and responsibility), and the Sheep and the Goats (service and judgment).

Within this larger eschatological context, Matthew 25:25 highlights the third servant's self-justification for his inaction. The master entrusted talents (significant sums of money, symbolizing God-given resources, gifts, opportunities, and time) to his servants according to their ability. The first two servants invested their talents and doubled them, receiving commendation. This third servant, having received only one talent, out of fear and a skewed perception of his master's character, chose the safest but most unproductive course of action: burying the money. His statement in verse 25 is his explanation for failing to generate any return, revealing a mindset rooted in preservation rather than productivity.

Historically, burying valuables was a common practice in ancient Palestine for security reasons, especially in times of war or instability, or simply when lacking trust in banking institutions. However, it was not an investment strategy. For the original Jewish audience, it contrasted sharply with diligent trading practices common in the Roman world and even among responsible householders. The master's expectation was growth and profit, mirroring God's expectation for His people to actively engage in His kingdom's work.

Matthew 25 25 Word analysis

Word-by-word analysis

• καὶ (kai) - "and": A simple conjunction, connecting this servant's statement to the unfolding narrative. It introduces his defensive explanation.
• φοβηθεὶς (phobetheis) - "I was afraid" (lit. "having been afraid"): This is an aorist passive participle from phobeomai. It indicates a completed state of being fearful, the root cause for his subsequent actions. This is not the reverential fear of the Lord (awe leading to obedience) but a paralyzing, irrational dread, likely of his master's perceived harshness or of personal failure, which inhibits action and spiritual productivity.
• ἀπελθὼν (apelthōn) - "and I went": An aorist active participle of aperchomai. It denotes a decisive action: he intentionally departed to execute his fear-driven plan. It shows his will to remove himself from the place of expected action.
• ἔκρυψα (ekrypsa) - "and hid": An aorist active indicative of krypto. This signifies a definite, completed action of concealing something. The chosen method, "in the ground," reflects a minimalist, risk-averse approach focused on preservation, not productivity or growth.
• τὸ τάλαντόν (to talanton) - "your talent": The direct object of his hiding. A talanton was a colossal sum of money, perhaps equivalent to 15-20 years of an ordinary laborer's wages (approx. 6,000 denarii). The large amount underscores the significant trust and opportunity the master had extended. "Your talent" emphasizes his view that it was only the master's, not his to take initiative with for growth.
• σου (sou) - "your": The genitive personal pronoun, indicating possession. This highlights his continued perception of the money as belonging exclusively to the master, even though it was entrusted to him for a purpose, not merely safekeeping.
• ἐν τῇ γῇ (en tē gē) - "in the ground": The chosen hiding place. This method was secure for simple preservation but rendered the capital completely unproductive. It serves as a strong metaphor for unutilized potential, gifts, or opportunities buried out of fear, laziness, or misunderstanding of the Lord's call.
• ἴδε (ide) - "See": An imperative, interjection meaning "Behold!" or "Look!" It introduces his subsequent statement with a tone that could be seen as defensive, defiant, or even a misguided sense of pride, as if he expects commendation for his "prudence."
• ἔχεις (echeis) - "you have": Present active indicative. A plain statement of fact, presenting the recovered principal as if it were a full and satisfactory fulfillment of his duty.
• τὸ σόν (to son) - "what is yours" (lit. "the yours"): A neuter possessive pronoun. It specifies that he is returning the bare minimum – only the principal amount. He has completely disregarded any expectation of increase, focusing only on the original sum, which again reveals his passive and unproductive mindset concerning stewardship.

Words-group analysis

• "and I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent": This opening phrase reveals the core problem: fear leading directly to passive, unproductive action (or inaction). His internal state of terror drove him to retreat and safeguard, rather than to engage and expand. This shows how fear can cripple faithful stewardship and obedience.
• "hid your talent in the ground": This specific action highlights the servant's fundamental misunderstanding of the master's intent. While secure, burying the money yielded no interest, profit, or growth. Symbolically, it represents the squandering of potential, spiritual gifts, opportunities, or time that God entrusts to believers, by not putting them to active, fruitful use in His kingdom. It demonstrates an extreme risk aversion that leads to total unproductivity.
• "See, you have what is yours": This statement conveys the servant's defensive self-justification. He believes he has done right by returning the principal untouched, showcasing a warped sense of duty and a failure to grasp the master's true expectation for investment and multiplication. His tone is almost defiant, indicating a complete lack of genuine understanding or remorse for his inaction and missed opportunity for the master's gain.

Matthew 25 25 Bonus section

The servant's actions in Matt 25:25 are largely shaped by his perception of the master (Matt 25:24), which he reveals more fully when confronted: "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed." His fear was rooted in this distorted view of the master's character, highlighting that a correct understanding of God's nature is crucial for faithful and fruitful service. Misconceptions about God can lead to spiritual paralysis and an unwillingness to engage in His purposes.

Furthermore, the parable implicitly highlights the concept of "opportunity cost." By choosing to hide the talent, the servant not only failed to gain anything but forfeited the potential profit, time, and blessing that could have come from diligent engagement. In the spiritual realm, inaction, rooted in fear or sloth, results in significant lost opportunities for Kingdom advancement and personal spiritual growth. God expects proactive participation, not mere passive safeguarding of His blessings.

Matthew 25 25 Commentary

Matthew 25:25 encapsulates the failure of a servant who, motivated by an unfounded and debilitating fear of his master, chose passive preservation over productive stewardship. He saw the talent not as capital for investment, but as a risky burden to be merely returned. His misguided fear led to a sin of omission – he did nothing wrong per se by losing the money, but he actively did nothing right by allowing it to remain unproductive. This verse underlines that in the Kingdom of God, active engagement and diligent use of entrusted resources are not optional. A lack of contribution, even if it avoids outright wrongdoing, is a form of unfaithfulness that incurs judgment. It’s a profound warning against spiritual paralysis and squandering God-given abilities and opportunities. Christians are called to be productive stewards, using their gifts, time, and resources for the Lord's advancement, not to bury them out of timidity or a misapprehension of His character.

• Practical Example 1: A believer who refrains from sharing their faith due to fear of rejection, effectively "burying" the talent of the Gospel entrusted to them.
• Practical Example 2: Someone with a spiritual gift (e.g., teaching, encouragement) who avoids serving in the church or community, rationalizing it by claiming to "not want to mess it up," thus letting their gift remain dormant.
• Practical Example 3: A Christian who accumulates wealth but fails to give generously to ministries or the needy, out of a fear of lack, prioritizing personal security over active kingdom investment.