Matthew Chapter 24 verse 48 Holy Bible

ASV Matthew 24:48

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
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BBE Matthew 24:48

But if that evil servant says in his heart, My lord is a long time in coming;
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DARBY Matthew 24:48

But if that evil bondman should say in his heart, My lord delays to come,
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KJV Matthew 24:48

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
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WBT Matthew 24:48


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WEB Matthew 24:48

But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his coming,'
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YLT Matthew 24:48

`And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 48. - But and if (ἐὰν δὲ). "And" is a remnant of an old use of the word, meaning "it'," so that it is here redundant, and the translation should he simply, but if; si autem. That evil servant (ὁ κακὸς δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος) is in a sense the same as he who, in ver. 45, was regarded as faithful and prudent. The opposite case is here put; he is supposed to be wicked and untrustworthy; he no longer is always watching for his lord's coming and endeavouring to be always ready, because he knows that he may at any moment be called to account. My lord delayeth [his coming]. B, א, and other good manuscripts omit ἐλθεῖν as unnecessary. Revised Version, my lord tarrieth, he brings himself to believe that the day of reckoning is still distant, and that he will have plenty of time to prepare his accounts before the settlement is called for. So men put off the day of repentance, saying, "Tomorrow, tomorrow," when they ought to feel that the present alone is theirs in which to prepare for judgment.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(48) But and if that evil servant.--Better, but if that evil servant, the "and" being in modern English usage superfluous, and representing originally a different conjunction.My lord delayeth his coming.--The temper described is identical with that portrayed in 2Peter 3:3-4. The words are memorable as implying the prescience, even in the immediate context of words that indicate nearness, that there would be what to men would seem delay. Those who looked on that delay as St. Peter looked on it would continue watchful, but the selfish and ungodly would be tempted by it to forget that Christ comes to men in more senses and more ways than one. The tyranny and sensuality which have at times stained the annals of the Church of Christ have had their origin in this forgetfulness, that though the final coming may be delayed, the Judge is ever near, even at the doors (James 5:9).