Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
Parallel translations
- WEB The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’
- BSB The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
- NKJV Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’
- NASB The first slave appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’
- NLT The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The first servant reports a tenfold gain from his mina. Faithful stewardship yields fruit for the Master.
Overview
The servant credits the increase to the master's mina rather than boasting in himself, modeling humble fruitfulness. His diligent use of what was entrusted to him stands as the pattern Christ commends. The parable shows that the Lord notices and rewards faithful labor in his service.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jas 2:18–26Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
- 1 Cor 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
- 2 Tim 4:7–8I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
- Col 1:28–29Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
- 1 Chr 29:14–16But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 19:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.