Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

MATTHEW 25:16KJV
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Matthew 25:16 (KJV)

What does Matthew 25:16 mean?

Matthew 25:16 describes how the servant who received five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents through trading. The verse shows the servant’s active response to being entrusted with his master’s resources.

In this part of Jesus’ parable, He is speaking to His disciples about the kingdom of heaven, using the story of a master who entrusts his servants with different amounts of money (“talents”) before leaving on a journey. The verse highlights the initiative and effort of the first servant, who does not hesitate but uses what he was given to produce more for his master.

The Greek behind Matthew 25:16

  • The word "traded" (ἐργάζομαι, ergazomai) means to work, do business, or engage in activity. In this context, it suggests the servant was actively involved in business or commerce, not just passively holding onto the money.
  • The word "made" (ποιέω, poieō) means to make or produce. Here, it emphasizes that the servant’s actions resulted in a real, measurable increase—he doubled what he had received.
  • The word "other" (ἄλλος, allos) means another or additional. This clarifies that the servant gained five talents on top of the original five, not just moving the same money around.

Why Matthew 25:16 matters

  • Matthew 25:16 clears up that the servant’s gain was not accidental or passive; he actively worked to increase what was entrusted to him.
  • The verse sets the pattern for the rest of the parable, showing what faithful stewardship looks like before contrasting it with the actions of the other servants.
  • This detail helps the reader understand that Jesus’ teaching is about responsibility and initiative with what one has been given, not just preservation or avoidance of loss.

Where else these words appear

“talents” Greek G5007 · used in 8 verses

  • Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
  • Matthew 25:20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
  • Matthew 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

“five” Greek G4002 · used in 33 verses

  • Matthew 14:17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
  • Luke 9:13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.
  • John 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

“traded” Greek G2038 · used in 37 verses

  • Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
  • Acts 13:41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
  • Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

“other” Greek G243 · used in 141 verses

  • Matthew 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
  • Mark 14:58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
  • Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.