Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
Parallel translations
- WEB Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.
- KJV Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
- NKJV Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
- NASB Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
- NLT If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
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
Blessed is the servant found doing his duty when the master comes. Faithful, ongoing obedience is rewarded.
Overview
The master's return finds the good servant actively at work, and pronounces him blessed. This is the heart of watchfulness: not nervous speculation but steady faithfulness in one's calling. The blessing is the master's approval and the joy that follows. It encourages believers to keep serving until Christ returns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Rev 16:15“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
- Luke 12:43Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
- Luke 12:37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.
- 2 Pet 1:13–15I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body,
- Phil 1:21–23For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
- 2 Tim 4:6–8For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
- Matt 25:34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
- Rev 2:19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 24:46 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.