Matthew 25:25
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: see, there you have that is yours.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: see, there you have that is yours.
American Standard Version (ASV)
and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And I was in fear, and went away, and put your talent in the earth: here is what is yours.
Webster's Revision
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast what is thine.
World English Bible
I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'
English Revised Version (ERV)
and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
Definitions for Matthew 25:25
Barnes's Matthew 25:25 Bible Commentary
I was afraid - I feared lest, by some accident, thy talent would be lost if I put it out to trade, and that I should be severely punished by a hard master. I therefore kept it laid up safely, and hid it where it could not be lost.
That is thine - There is what properly belongs to thee. There is the original talent that thou gavest me, and that is all that can be reasonably required. Observe here:
1. That this expresses exactly the feelings of all sinners. God, in their view, is hard, cruel, unjust.
2. All the excuses of sinners are excuses for indolence and sin, and the effect is to cheat themselves out of heaven. The effect of this excuse was that the reward was lost, and such will always be the result of the excuses of sinners for not doing their duty.
3. Sinners grudge everything to God. They are never willing to be liberal toward him but are stinted and close; and if they give, they do it with hard feelings, and say that that is all that he can claim.
Wesley's Matthew 25:25 Bible Commentary
25:25 And I was afraid - Lest if I had improved my talent, I should have had the more to answer for. So from this fear, one will not learn to read, another will not hear sermons!