15. Several ability (cdéav). Lit., his own or peculiar capac- ity for business.
16. Straightway (evJéws). Connected with the beginning of this verse, instead of with the end of ver. 15: Straightway . he that had recewed, etc., indicating promptness on the servant’s part.
Traded with them (npydcato év avtois). Lit., wrought with them. The virgins wazt, the servants work.
Made (érroijcev). Not made them, as A. V. The word is used in our sense of make money. Wye. and Tynd., won. Geneva, gained. Some read éxépdnaev, gained, as in ver. 17.
24. Hard (cxdAnpos). Stronger than the austere (advarnpds) of Luke xix. 21 (see there), which is sometimes used in a good
134 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. ([Cu. XXV.
sense, as this never is. It is an epithet given to a surface which is at once dry and hard.
Strawed (dvecxopmicas). Rey., didst scatter. Not referring to the sowing of seed, for that would be saying the same thing twice. The scattering refers to the winnowing of the loosened sheaves spread out upon the threshing-floor. “The word,” as Trench observes “could scarcely be applied to the measured and orderly scattering of the sower’s seed. It is rather the dis- persing, making to fly in every direction.” Hence used of the pursuit of a routed enemy (Luke i. 51); of the prodigal scatter- ing his goods; making the money fly, as we say (Luke xv. 13) ; of the wolf scattering the sheep (Matt. xxvi. 31). Wrye., spread abroad.
25. That is thine (76 cov). The Greek is more concise, and is better given by Rev., Lo, thow hast thine own.
26. Slothful. With no more trouble than he expended in digging, he might have gone to the exchangers. The verse should be read interrogatively, Dedst thou indeed know this of me? Thou shouldst then have acted with the promptness and care which one observes in dealing with a hard master. To omit the interrogation is to make the Lord admit that he was a hard master.
27. Put (Banreiv). Lit., throw or fling down, as one would throw a bag of coin upon the exchanger’s table.
Exchangers (tpamefirais). Taking their name from the table or counter at which they sat (tpd7efa). The Jewish bank- ers bore precisely the same name.
Usury (tox@). A very graphic word, meaning first chzld- berth, and then offspring. Hence of interest, which is the prod- uce or offspring of capital. Originally it was only what was paid for the wse of money ; hence wsury; but it became synony- mous with extortionate interest. Rev., better, with interest.
Cu. XXV.] MATTHEW. 135
The Jewish law distingnished between interest and increase. In Rome very high interest seems to have been charged in early times. Practically usury was unlimited. It soon became the custom to charge monthly interest at one per cent. a month. During the early empire legal interest stood at eight per cent., but in usurious transactions it was lent at twelve, twenty-four, and even forty-eight. The Jewish bankers of Palestine and elsewhere were engaged in the same undertakings. The law of Moses denounced usury in the transactions of Hebrews with Hebrews, but permitted it in dealing with strangers (Deut. xe 1 9) 205 Psoxv. 5).
32. All the nations (vdvyta ta é9vn). The whole human race; though the word is generally employed in the New Tes- ene a to denote Gentiles as distinguished from Jews.
Separate them (adrovs). Masculine, while the word nations isneuter. Nations are regarded as gathered collectwely ; but in contemplating the act of separation the Lord regards the mdi- viduals.
The sheep from the goats (or Aids, so Rey. in margin). “ The bald division of men into sheep and goats is, in one sense, so easy as not to be worth performing ; and in another sense it is so hard as only to be possible for something with supernatural insight” (John Morley, ‘“ Voltaire”). Goats are an appro- priate figure, because the goat was regarded as a comparatively worthless animal. Hence the point of the elder son’s complaint in the parable of the Prodigal: Mot so much as a kid (Luke xv. 29). The diminutive Coe expresses contempt.