Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 19:13

"And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye [herewith] till I come." — Luke 19:13 (ASV)

And delivered them ten pounds.—In this, again, we find a noticeable difference. Here we begin with equality; in Matthew 25:15 the servants start with unequal amounts, according to their several ability. So far as we lay stress on the difference, it implies that the trust in this case is that which all disciples of Christ have in common—namely, their knowledge of the truth and their membership in the Kingdom, and not the offices and positions that vary in degree. The pound, or mna, was, in Greek numismatics, not a coin, but a sum equal to the sixtieth part of a talent. The Greek name was probably derived from the Hebrew Maneh. According to another estimate it was equal to 25 shekels, or 100 drachmae or denarii. The word appears, as far as the New Testament is concerned, in this parable only.

Occupy till I come.—The better manuscripts give, while I am coming. The Greek verb for “occupy” occurs in this passage only in the New Testament. A compound form of it is rendered, in Luke 19:15, by gained in trading. The English verb appears in Ezekiel 27:9, Ezekiel 27:16, and Ezekiel 27:21-22, in the sense of “trading,” in which it is used here. (See also the Prayer Book version of Psalms 107:23.)