Matthew 25:15 (KJV)

What does Matthew 25:15 mean?

Matthew 25:15 describes a master entrusting different amounts of money to his servants before leaving on a journey. Jesus presents the amounts as a measure of responsibility given to each servant, with the master taking each person’s ability into account.

Jesus is telling a story to his disciples. After the master calls his servants in verse 14, he gives each a share of his property to handle while he is away. The different amounts set up the servants’ different responses later in the story.

The Greek behind Matthew 25:15

• “talents” — τάλαντον (talanton): A talent was a measure of weight that could also describe a large sum of money. In this story, the word points to wealth entrusted to the servants, not to natural gifts.
• “ability” — δύναμις (dynamis): The word can carry the sense of capacity or power to do something. Here it describes the basis on which the master assigns each servant a share.
• “several” — ἴδιος (idios): The word carries the sense of one’s own or individual. The KJV phrase “his several ability” means that the master considered each servant’s particular capacity.

Why Matthew 25:15 matters

• The story begins with a substantial trust, even for the servant who receives the smallest amount. A single talent represented a large sum, and the master gives that servant one.
• The later reckoning focuses on what each servant did with what he received. In verses 20–23, the master gives the same praise to the servants who gained five and two talents.
• The journey explains why the servants must act during the master’s absence. The account of their actions follows his departure and comes before his return in verse 19.