And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

And to those standing by he said, Take from him the pound, and give to him having the ten pounds,

And he said to the others who were near, Take the pound away from him, and give it to the man who has ten.

And he said to the bystanders, 'Take the pound away from him, and give it to him who has ten pounds.'

Take away from him the ten pounds,' he said to those standing by, 'and give them to the one who has the hundred.'

I knew thee, that thou art a harsh man. This harshness has nothing to do with the substance of the parable; and it is an idle speculation in which those indulge, who reason from this passage, how severely and rigorously God deals with his own people. For Christ did not intend to describe such rigor, any more than to applaud usury, when he represents the master of the house as saying, that the money ought to have been deposited with a banker, that it might, at least, gain interest Christ only means, that there will be no excuse for the indolence of those who both conceal the gifts of God, and waste their time in idleness. Hence also we infer that no manner of life is more praiseworthy in the sight of God, than that which yields some advantage to human society.

And he said unto them that stood by,.... The angels, it may be; though this may not be strictly taken, as if any persons, angels, or men, will be employed in what follows, only that it will be done, or may be expected:
take from him the pound; which shows, that it was not special grace, for that is a good part that shall never be taken away, but gifts which may be taken away from men, or they from them:
and give it to him that hath ten pounds; not that, strictly speaking, the gifts of some men are taken from them and bestowed on others; but the design of the expression is to show, that to diligent and laborious ministers, there is an increase of gifts; their knowledge enlarges, and their light shines more and more to the perfect day, and they become more useful; and they appear brighter, and more illustrious, through the sloth of others, or when compared with indolent, negligent, and useless ministers.

Said to them that stood by. The angels (Matthew 13:41; 2-Thessalonians 1:7; Jude 14).
To every one that hath shall be given. To those who have been faithful and efficient shall be given still greater trusts when the Lord comes, but from the faithless will be taken their opportunities forever. The faithless servant is a faithless church member.