Matthew Chapter 25 verse 25 Holy Bible
and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
read chapter 25 in ASV
And I was in fear, and went away, and put your talent in the earth: here is what is yours.
read chapter 25 in BBE
and being afraid I went away and hid thy talent in the earth; behold, thou hast that which is thine.
read chapter 25 in DARBY
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
read chapter 25 in KJV
read chapter 25 in WBT
I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'
read chapter 25 in WEB
and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own!
read chapter 25 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 25. - I was afraid. He took as certain the conception which he had formed of his master's character, as harsh, exacting, and unsympathizing, and therefore feared to speculate with his money, or to put it to any use whereby it might be lost or diminished. This is his excuse for negligence. He endeavours to cast the fault from his own shoulders to those of his superior. So evil men persuade themselves that God asks from them more than they can perform, and content themselves by doing nothing; or they consider that their powers and means are their own, to use or not as they like, and that no one can call them to account for the way in which they treat them. Hid thy talent in the earth (see on ver. 18). Put it away for safety, that it might come to no harm, and not be employed for evil purposes. He recognizes not any duty owed to the giver in the possession of the money, nor the responsibility for work which it imposed. Lo, there thou hast that is thine; lo! thou hast thy own. This is sheer insolence; as if he had said, "You cannot complain; I have not stolen or lost your precious money; here it is intact, just as I received it." What a perverse mistaken view of his own position and of God's nature! The talent was given to him, not to bury, but to use and improve for his lord's profit. Hidden away, it was wasted. The time, too, during which he had the talent in his possession was wasted; he had not honestly used it in his master's service, or laboured, as he was bound to do. He ought to have had much more to show than the original endowment. To vaunt that, if he had done no good, at least he had done no harm, is condemnation. He might not thus shirk his responsibility. His answer only aggravated his fault.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(25) And I was afraid.--The words are those of simulated rather than real fear. That would have led him to shrink from the unfaithful service which was sure to draw down his master's anger. The excuse did but cover the implied taunt that he dared not venture anything in the service of a master who would make no allowance for intentions where the result was failure. So, in the life of the soul, a man wanting in the spirit of loyalty and trust contents himself with making no use of opportunities, and therefore they are to him as though they were not, except that they increase his guilt and his condemnation.
