Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 25].
25:21 {The joy of thy lord} (\t•n charin tou kuriou sou\). The
word \chara\ or joy may refer to the feast on the master's
return. So in verse 23.
25:24 {That had received the one talent} (\ho to talenton
eil•ph•s\). Note the perfect active participle to emphasize the
fact that he still had it. In verse 20 we have \ho--lab•n\
(aorist active participle). {I knew thee} (\egn•n se\). Second
aorist active indicative. Experimental knowledge (\gin•sk•\) and
proleptical use of \se\. {A hard man} (\skl•ros\). Harsh, stern,
rough man, worse than \aust•ros\ in Lu 19:21, grasping and
ungenerous. {Where thou didst not scatter} (\hothen ou
dieskorpisas\). But this scattering was the chaff from which
wheat was winnowed, not the scattering of seed.
25:26 {Thou wicked and slothful servant} (\pon•re doule kai
okn•re\). From \ponos\ (work, annoyance, disturbance, evil) and
\okne•\ (to be slow, "poky," slothful). Westcott and Hort make a
question out of this reply to the end of verse 26. It is
sarcasm.
25:27 {Thou oughtest therefore} (\edsi se oun\). His very words
of excuse convict him. It was a necessity (\edei\) that he did
not see. {The bankers} (\tois trapezeitais\). The benchers,
money-changers, brokers, who exchanged money for a fee and who
paid interest on money. Word common in late Greek. {I should have
received back} (\eg• ekomisam•n an\). Conclusion of a condition
of the second class (determined as unfulfilled). The condition is
not expressed, but it is implied. "If you had done that." {With
interest} (\sun tok•i\). Not with "usury" in the sense of
extortion or oppression. Usury only means "use" in itself. The
word is from \tikt•\, to bring forth. Compound interest at six
per cent doubles the principal every twenty years. It is amazing
how rapidly that piles up if one carries it on for centuries and
millenniums. "In the early Roman Empire legal interest was eight
per cent, but in usurious transactions it was lent at twelve,
twenty-four, and even forty-eight" (Vincent). Such practices
exist today in our cities. The Mosaic law did not allow interest
in dealings between Hebrews, but only with strangers (De
23:19,20; Ps 15:5).
25:30 {The unprofitable} (\ton achreion\). Useless (\a\ privative
and \chreios\, useful) and so unprofitable, injurious. Doing
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT25.RWP.html (4 of 6) [28/08/2004 09:03:25 a.m.]