3414. mna

Lexical Summary

mna: Mina

Original Word: μνᾶ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: mna
Pronunciation: mnä
Phonetic Spelling: (mnah)
KJV: pound
NASB: minas, mina
Word Origin: [of Latin origin]

1. a mna (i.e. mina), a certain weight

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

pound, mina

Of Latin origin; a mna (i.e. Mina), a certain weight -- pound.

HELPS Word-studies

3414 mná (from the Latin, "mina") – the Greek silver-ingot (monetary weight) weighing about 1/A of a talent (approximately 13 ounces). See also 1220 /dēnárion ("denarius") and 1406/draxmē ("drachma").

One mina was equivalent to 100 denarii (= one hundred days' wages for the common worker).

Reflection: The Lord requires 100% faithfulness from each person – and rewards this equally, regardless of earthly achievements. See also Lk 17:6; 2 Pet 1:1.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of Semitic origin maneh
Definition
a mina (Gr. monetary unit)
NASB Translation
mina (4), minas (5).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3414: μνᾶ

μνᾶ, μνᾶς, ἡ, a word of Eastern origin (cf. Schrader, Keilinschriften as above with, p. 143), Arabic , Syriac )YNM [], Hebrew מָנֶה (from מָנָה, to appoint, mark out, count, etc.), Latinmina;

1. in the O. T. a weight, and an imaginary coin or money of account, equal to one hundred shekels: 1 Kings 10:17, cf. 2 Chronicles 9:16; 2 Esdr. 2:69, (otherwise in Ezekiel 45:12 (cf. Bible Educator, index under the word Maneh; Schrader in Riehm under the word Mine, p. 1000f)).

2. In Attic a weight and a sum of money equal to one hundred drachmae (see δραχμή (and B. D. under the word ; especially Schrader in Riehm as above)): Luke 19:13, 16, 18, 20, 24f

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Historical Background

A mina was a well-known measure of weight and money in the ancient Near East. In the Greek world it commonly equaled one hundred drachmas, and in the Semitic milieu it lay between the shekel and the talent. By the first century the term had become a familiar way to speak of significant, but not vast, sums—large enough to fund business ventures, yet small enough for private individuals to handle.

Old Testament Roots

Although the Greek word itself is not found in the Septuagint, the concept is embedded in the Hebrew מָנֶה (māneh). Ezekiel 45:12 speaks of standardizing weights—“twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina”—showing the mina’s role in economic justice and temple regulation. That background prepares the reader to understand Jesus’ employment of the term as a symbol of entrusted resources.

Greco-Roman Economic Context

In the wider Roman economy, the mina fit comfortably into commercial life. One mina approximated three months’ wages for an ordinary laborer. Converting cash into opportunity, merchants could purchase raw materials, slaves, or seed for crops. Thus, a mina became shorthand for potential growth: something that could lie idle or be leveraged for substantial profit.

Appearances in the New Testament

Every New Testament occurrence of Strong’s 3414 belongs to Luke 19:13–25. Nine times the term surfaces, emphasizing its centrality to a single parable. Luke’s deliberate repetition underlines the stewardship theme while anchoring the narrative in an amount his audience could readily imagine.

The Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11–27)

Jesus tells of a nobleman who, before traveling to receive a kingdom, “called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business until I return,’ he said” (Luke 19:13). At the nobleman’s return, the servants render account:
• First servant: “‘Master, your mina has earned ten more minas.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities’” (Luke 19:16-17).
• Second servant: “‘Your mina, Master, has made five minas,’” earning charge over five cities (Luke 19:18-19).
• Third servant: “Here is your mina, which I have kept laid away in a piece of cloth” (Luke 19:20). His inaction provokes rebuke and loss.

Stewardship and Accountability

The mina represents every form of endowment—spiritual gifts, gospel opportunities, finances, influence—entrusted by Christ to His disciples. Faithfulness brings proportionate reward, not merely preservation. The parable teaches:

1. All servants receive something; none can plead emptiness.
2. Increase, not maintenance, is the Master’s expectation.
3. Rewards extend beyond personal gain; they involve shared rule in the coming kingdom (“authority over ten cities”).

Comparison with the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30)

Though similar, the two parables differ in setting and emphasis. Talents stress differing amounts entrusted to servants according to ability; minas highlight equal amounts given to all. Talents underscore personal capacity, minas underscore universal responsibility. Together they present a balanced doctrine of stewardship: individual gifting (talents) and common obligation (minas).

Eschatological Implications

Jesus delivered the parable “because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear at once” (Luke 19:11). By framing the present as a time for trading, He situates Christian service in the interim between His ascension and return. Final settlement awaits the Parousia, yet present performance irrevocably shapes future role in the Messianic reign.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Evangelism: The gospel itself is a mina; sharing multiplies its reach.
• Discipleship: Training others converts one mina into many, mirroring the ten-fold increase.
• Finances: Wise investment of money for kingdom purposes yields eternal dividends.
• Leadership: Delegated authority in the local church previews “authority over cities,” fostering accountable governance now.

Lessons for Contemporary Believers

1. Do not underestimate “a very small matter.” In God’s economy, small sums can govern cities.
2. Risk for Christ is safer than caution that buries potential.
3. Present faithfulness—not future intention—determines eternal reward.
4. Rejecting stewardship invites loss: “Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas” (Luke 19:24).
5. Christ’s return is certain; diligent labor now is the believer’s proper posture.

The mina thus stands as a vivid biblical metaphor for God-given resources, inviting every disciple to diligent, expectant service until the King appears.

Forms and Transliterations

μνα μνᾶ μναι μναν μνᾶν μνας μνᾶς mna mnâ mnan mnân mnas mnâs

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 19:13 N-AFP-C
GRK: αὐτοῖς δέκα μνᾶς καὶ εἶπεν
NAS: them ten minas and said
KJV: them ten pounds, and said
INT: to them ten minas and said

Luke 19:16 N-NFS
GRK: Κύριε ἡ μνᾶ σου δέκα
NAS: saying, Master, your mina has made ten
KJV: Lord, thy pound hath gained ten
INT: Lord the mina of you ten

Luke 19:16 N-AFP-C
GRK: δέκα προσηργάσατο μνᾶς
NAS: has made ten minas more.'
KJV: hath gained ten pounds.
INT: ten has produced more minas

Luke 19:18 N-NFS
GRK: λέγων Ἡ μνᾶ σου κύριε
NAS: saying, Your mina, master,
KJV: Lord, thy pound hath gained five
INT: saying the mina of you Lord

Luke 19:18 N-AFP-C
GRK: ἐποίησεν πέντε μνᾶς
NAS: has made five minas.'
KJV: hath gained five pounds.
INT: has made five more minas

Luke 19:20 N-NFS
GRK: ἰδοὺ ἡ μνᾶ σου ἣν
NAS: here is your mina, which
KJV: [here is] thy pound, which
INT: behold the mina of you which

Luke 19:24 N-AFS-C
GRK: αὐτοῦ τὴν μνᾶν καὶ δότε
NAS: Take the mina away
KJV: from him the pound, and give
INT: him the mina and give [it]

Luke 19:24 N-AFP-C
GRK: τὰς δέκα μνᾶς ἔχοντι
NAS: it to the one who has the ten minas.'
KJV: [it] to him that hath ten pounds.
INT: the ten minas has

Luke 19:25 N-AFP-C
GRK: ἔχει δέκα μνᾶς
NAS: he has ten minas [already].'
KJV: he hath ten pounds.)
INT: he has ten minas

Strong's Greek 3414
9 Occurrences

μνᾶ — 3 Occ.
μνᾶν — 1 Occ.
μνᾶς — 5 Occ.