⭐WEB · Matthew 25:18
What does Matthew 25:18 mean?
"But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money."
— Matthew 25:18 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.
Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two.
But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.
He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Explanation
Matthew 25:18 comes from the Parable of the Talents, a story Jesus told his disciples near the end of his teaching ministry, shortly before his arrest and crucifixion. In the parable, a master entrusts three servants with different amounts of money — talents, a unit of currency representing a substantial sum — before going on a journey. Two servants, given five and two talents respectively, put the money to work and double it through investment or trade. This verse describes the third servant's response: rather than using the single talent he received, he dug a hole in the ground and buried it, taking no risk and generating no return.
To understand the context, it helps to know that Jesus told this parable as part of a series of teachings in Matthew 24-25 about being ready for his return and the coming judgment. The parable follows immediately after the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which also stresses watchfulness and readiness. Jesus was speaking to his disciples, preparing them for a period after his departure when they would need to faithfully manage what he had entrusted to them until he came back. The burying of money in the ground was actually a common and understandable way to protect valuables in the ancient world, since there were no banks in the modern sense — but the master in the story had explicitly given money for the purpose of productive use, not mere safekeeping.
Theologically, this verse marks the turning point in the parable where contrast is drawn between faithful stewardship and fearful, unproductive inaction. The servant's choice to bury the talent, as the r
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