The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 474

views; they read their own oharll(iter into Ver. 26.-Thou wicked and slothful their oonoeption of him; os the !Jiml says, aervant. In marked oontrast with the com- in Pa. l. 21, "Thou thoughtest that I was mendation," good and faithful," in vers, 21, nltogether such an one 11B thyself." Reap- 23. Hew11& "wicked," in that he calumniated ing where thou haat not aown (thou aowedst his master, who really seems to have been not), and gathering where thou hast not ready to acknowledge the least service done etrawed (89,v ob Bmr,c&f"/l,o-a.s, whence thou to him, and never looked for results beyond ,oattered,t not). This is o proverbial say- e. man's ability and opportunities; and he ing, implying e. desire of obtaining results was "slothful," in that he made no effort without sufficient means. The last verb is to improve the one talent entrusted to him. interpreted either of sowing or winnowing; Thou knewest (p6m), eto. Out of his own the latter seems to be correot here, thus mouth he judges him (Luke xix. 22). He a.voiding tautology. It ie used by the repeats the slave's words, in which be ex- Septuagint in this sense .in Ezek. v. 2, 11B pressed hie notion of hie lord's character the rendering of the Hebrew verb ~arah and practice, and deduces therefrom the (Ederaheim). So the phrase here signifies inconsistency of hie action, without deigning gathering corn from II floor where thou to defend himself from the calumny, except, didst not winnow. The slave virtue.Uy perhaps, by the use of /6m, which gives brings II twofold charge against hie master, 11 hypothetical notion to the assumed know- viz. that he enriched himself by others' ledge. "You knew, you say." Some editors toil; and that he expected go.in from place a mark of interrogation at the end of quariel's where he had bestowed no labour. the clause, which seems unnecessary. Ver. 25.-1 was afraid, He took e.s Ver. 27.-Thou oughtest therefore, etc. certain the oonoeption which he had formed Your conception of my character ought to of hie maeter'e character, e.s harsh, exact- have made you more diligent and scrupu- ing, and unsympathizing, and therefore lous ; and if you were rea.lly afraid to run feared to speculate with his money, or to any risks with my moneyor invest it in any put it to IIDY nee whereby it might be lost hazardous speculation, there were many or diminished. Thie ie his excuse for ordinary and safe methods of employing it negHgenoe. He endeavours to ea.at the which would have yielded some profit, and fault from his own shoulders to those of hie some of these you would have adopted h11d superior. Bo evil men persuade themselves you been faithful and earnest. The return that God IIBkB from them more than they might have been trifilng in amount, but t.be ce.n perform, and oontent themselves by lord shows that he is not grasping and doing nothing; or they consider that their harsh by being willing to accept even tLis powers and mee.ne are their own, to nee or in token of the servllDt's labour. To have not e.s they lill;e, and that no one can ce.11 put (.Bci.\•w). The term means to have them to account for the way in which they thrown the money, e.s it were, on the treat them. Kid thy ta.lent in the earth banker's table. This won.Id have been leBS (see on ver. 18). Put it away for safety, trouble than digging a hole to bury it. Ex- that it might come to no harm, and not be ohangers ; -rpa.r,(fra.is: numulariiB; bankerB. employed for evil purposes. He recognizes In St. Luke (xix. 23) we find evl -rpa.re(a.v, not any duty owed to the giver in the with the same meaning. These money- possession of the money, nor' the responsi- ohangers or bankers (for the business seems bility for work whioh it imposed. Lo, there al ways to have combined the two br11Dches) thou he.et that ie thine; lo I thou hast thy own. were a numerous class in Palestine, and Thie is sheer insolence; e.s if he had so.id, wherever the Jewish community w1111 "Youce.nnotcomple.in; I have notetolen or established. They received depositl! at lost your precious money; here it is intaot, interest, and engaged in transactioll8 such just 11B I received it." What e. perverse mis- as 11re usual in modem times. With UBll1'f taken view of his own position and of God's (o-liv -r&,c'I', toith interest). At one time, law nature I The to.lent was given to him, not had forbidden ll8Urious transactions between to bury, but to use and improve for his Israelites, though the Gentile WIIB left to lord's profit Hidden away, it was w11sted. the mercy of his creditor (Dent. xxiii. 19, The time, too, during whioh he had the 20); but later such limitations were not talent in hie possession we.a wasted ; he had observed. The rate of interest varied from not hone.atly used it in his master's service, four to forty per cent. The spiritual inter- or laboured, as he was bound to do. He pretation of this feature of the parable Las ought to have had muoh more to show than most unneoeSl!orily exercised the ingenuity the original endowment. To vaunt that, of commentators. Some see in the bankers if he had done no good, at least he had done an adumbration of the religious sooieties no harm, is condemnation. He might not ond charitable institutions, by means of thus shirk his respamribility. His anewor which persons can indirectly do some work only aggravated his fault. for Christ, though unable personally to 480 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. :s:xv. 1-4.6.