“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
Parallel translations
- WEB “But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter.
- KJV His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
- BSB ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
- NKJV “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
- NASB “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed?
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 master calls him wicked and slothful, taking his own words against him. Even by his own claim, the servant should have acted.
Overview
The master answers the servant on his own terms, exposing his excuse as inconsistent and his heart as lazy and evil. If he truly believed the master demanding, that was all the more reason to be diligent. The labels 'wicked and slothful' show that his inaction was moral failure, not caution. This unmasks the false reasoning that justifies spiritual idleness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Matt 18:32Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
- Job 15:5–6For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.'
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Original language
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