Matthew 24:49

Literal Standard Version

and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

King James Version (1611)
And shall begin to smite his fellow seruants, and to eate and drinke with the drunken:

King James Version
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

English Standard Version
and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,

New American Standard Bible
and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk;

New Century Version
and he begins to beat the other servants and eat and get drunk with others like him?

Amplified Bible
and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;

Legacy Standard Bible
and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;

Berean Standard Bible
And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

Contemporary English Version
Suppose that evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk.

Complete Jewish Bible
and he starts beating up his fellow servants and spends his time eating and drinking with drunkards;

Darby Translation
and begin to beat his fellow-bondmen, and eat and drink with the drunken;

Easy-to-Read Version
He will begin to beat the other servants. He will eat and drink with others who are drunk.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And begin to smite his fellowes, & to eate, and to drinke with the drunken,

George Lamsa Translation
And he begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards,

Good News Translation
and he will begin to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

Lexham English Bible
and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards,

Literal Translation
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and to drink with the ones drinking,

American Standard Version
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;

Bible in Basic English
And is cruel to the other servants, taking his pleasure with those who are overcome with wine;

Hebrew Names Version
and began to beat his fellow-servants, and eat and drink with the drunken,

International Standard Version
and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks,

Etheridge Translation
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall be eating and drinking with drunkards;

Murdock Translation
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall be eating and drinking with drunkards;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so begyn to smyte his felowes, yea, and to eate and drynke with the dronken:

English Revised Version
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;

World English Bible
and began to beat his fellow-servants, and eat and drink with the drunken,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken:

Weymouth's New Testament
and should begin to beat his fellow servants, while he eats and drinks with drunkards;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and bigynneth to smyte hise euen seruauntis, and ete, and drynke with drunken men;

Update Bible Version
and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves, and shall eat and drink with the drunks;

Webster's Bible Translation
And shall begin to beat [his] fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

New English Translation
and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards,

New King James Version
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

New Living Translation
and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?

New Life Bible
He will beat the others. He will eat and drink with those who are drunk.

New Revised Standard
and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And begin to be striking his fellow-servants, and eating and drinking with the drunken,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And shall begin to strike his fellow servants and shall eat and drink with drunkards:

Revised Standard Version
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and beginne to smyte his felowes ye and to eate and to drinke with the dronke:

Young's Literal Translation
and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and begynne to smyte his felowes, yee and to eate and drynke with the dronken:

Mace New Testament (1729)
and shall pretend to assault his fellow-servants, and spend his time with sots:

Simplified Cowboy Version
Suppose he quits checkin' the waters and fails to feed cow cake in the winter. What if he invites all his buddies out to the house and all they do is get drunk and pitch washers instead of what he's supposed to be doing?

Contextual Overview

³²And from the fig tree learn the allegory: when its branch may have already become tender, and it may put forth the leaves, you know that summer [is] near, ³³so also you, when you may see all these, you know that it is near—at the doors. ³⁴Truly I say to you, this generation may not pass away until all these may come to pass. ³⁵The heaven and the earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. ³⁶And concerning that day and the hour no one has known—not even the messengers of the heavens—except My Father only; ³⁷and as the days of Noah—so will also be the coming of the Son of Man; ³⁸for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the Ark, ³⁹and they did not know until the flood came and took all away, so will also be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two [men] will be in the field: one is received, and one is left; ⁴¹two [women] will be grinding in the mill: one is received, and one is left.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to smite: Isaiah 66:5, 2 Corinthians 11:20, 1 Peter 5:3, 3 John 1:9, 3 John 1:10, Revelation 13:7, Revelation 16:6, Revelation 17:6

and to: Matthew 7:15, 1 Samuel 2:13-16, 1 Samuel 2:29, Isaiah 56:12, Ezekiel 34:3, Micah 3:5, Romans 16:18, Philippians 3:19, Titus 1:11, Titus 1:12, 2 Peter 2:13, 2 Peter 2:14, Jude 1:12

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 16:9 - drinking Proverbs 23:20 - not Proverbs 23:29 - Who hath woe Ecclesiastes 8:11 - sentence Ezekiel 34:4 - but with Romans 2:4 - despisest 1 Corinthians 5:11 - or a drunkard 2 Corinthians 1:24 - that Ephesians 5:18 - be not

Cross-References

Genesis 32:10
I have been unworthy of all the kind acts and of all the truth which You have done with your servant—for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

Genesis 47:29
And the days of Israel are near to die, and he calls for his son, for Joseph, and says to him, "Now if I have found grace in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, and you have done kindness and truth with me; please do not bury me in Egypt,

Numbers 20:17
Please let us pass over through your land; we do not pass over through a field or through a vineyard, nor do we drink waters of a well; we go the way of the king, we do not turn aside [to] the right or left until we pass over your border."

Deuteronomy 2:27
Let me pass over through your land; in the way—in the way I go, I do not turn aside [to the] right or left.

Joshua 2:14
And the men say to her, "Our soul to die for yours; if you do not declare this—our matter, then it has been, in YHWH's giving this land to us, that we have done kindness and truth with you."

Proverbs 3:3
Do not let kindness and truth forsake you, || Bind them on your neck, || Write them on the tablet of your heart,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And shall begin to smite his fellow servants,.... By abusing the power lodged in him, usurping a dominion over their faith, and imposing on their consciences things which Christ has never commanded; vexing and burdening them with trifling rites and ceremonies, and other unnecessary things; wounding, grieving, offending weak minds by his conduct and example; or persecuting the saints, such of them as cannot come into everything in his way of believing and practising:

and to eat and drink with the drunken; giving himself up to luxury and intemperance; feeding himself instead of the family; serving his own belly, and not his Lord and Master Christ; living an ungodly and licentious life, altogether unbecoming the Gospel of Christ: such servants and stewards have been, and are in the church of God; but sad will be their case, when their Lord comes, as follows. Respect seems to be had either to the ecclesiastical rulers among the Jews, who went under the name of the servants of the Lord, but persecuted the apostles, and those that believed in Christ; or the "Judaizing" Christians, and false teachers, that were for imposing the ceremonies of the law upon believers; or Simon Magus, and his followers, a set of licentious, men; or all of them; who lived in this period of time, between the death of Christ, and the destruction of the temple.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This passage is, in fact, “a parable,” though it is not expressly so called. The design is to show that his disciples should act as if they were each moment expecting his return. This he illustrates by the conduct of a servant who did not expect his master soon to return, who acted with great impropriety, and who was accordingly punished.

Matthew 24:45

Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant ... - By the conduct of a faithful and wise servant Jesus intends to denote a faithful Christian, a servant of God, or a teacher of religion.

Whom his lord - His master.

The word here has no reference to God. It means the “lord” or master of the servant. Applied to Christian teachers, in the spiritual meaning of the parable, it refers to “Christ,” who has appointed them as teachers, and who is their Lord and Master, John 13:13-14.

Over his household - His family. Christian ministers are the servants of God appointed over the church, the family of Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 1Co 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:28.

Meat in due season - The word “meat” here means food of all kinds. When the Bible was translated into English, the word included, as the original does, all kinds of provisions requisite to support and nourish life.

In due season - As they need it, or in the accustomed times. This was the office of a steward. Among the ancients this office was often filled by a “slave” - one who had shown himself trusty and faithful. The duty was to have a general superintendence over the affairs of the family. Applied to Christian ministers, it means that they are to feed the flock of God, to “minister” to their needs, and to do it as they need it, John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.

Matthew 24:47

Shall make him ruler ... - Shall confirm his appointment over his household, and, as a reward, shall place him over all his property.

This does not mean that ministers will have a higher rank or office, but is a circumstance of “the parable” or story, designed to show the effect of faithfulness. Faithful servants of Christ shall be rewarded. This will be done by His approbation, and by the rewards of the heavenly world.

Matthew 24:48

That evil servant - If that servant, so appointed, having this office, should be evil or wicked.

Say in his heart - Secretly suppose.

Delayeth his coming - Will not return in a long time; or does not return as soon as was expected, and perhaps may not at all.

Matthew 24:49

Smite his fellow-servants ... - This is the conduct of a wicked servant, who, supposing he would not be called to account, and abusing his authority, gave himself up to oppression, carousing, and debauchery.

It is designed to represent the conduct of ministers who are unfaithful and overbearing, and who abuse their trust in the church.

Matthew 24:51

Shall cut him asunder - This kind of punishment was anciently practiced.

Sometimes it was done by the sword. sometimes by saws. It was practiced among the Chaldeans Daniel 2:5; Daniel 3:29, and among the Hebrews, 2 Samuel 12:31; 1Sa 15:33; 1 Kings 3:25; Hebrews 11:37. It was also practiced by the Egyptians and Romans. It is not, perhaps, here to be taken literally, but signifies that the wicked servant should be severely punished.

Hypocrites - See the notes at Matthew 6:2. They are spoken of here as the worst of people.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth - See the notes at Matthew 8:12-13. The unfaithful and wicked minister of God, who lives without expectation or fear of judgment, shall suffer the severest punishment inflicted on sinners in the world of woe.