Originally denoting a balance or pair of scales in classical Greek, talanton came to signify the heaviest standard unit of weight in the ancient Near East, and by extension a monetary sum of enormous value — roughly 6,000 denarii or twenty years' wages for a common laborer. In the New Testament, it appears exclusively in Jesus' parables. The unforgiving servant owes an absurdly vast 10,000 talents (Matt 18:24), while the parable of the talents distributes five, two, and one talent to servants according to their ability (Matt 25:15-28). The word's parabolic context gives it a metaphorical dimension: talents represent entrusted gifts, opportunities, or responsibilities. The modern English sense of 'talent' as an innate ability descends directly from this parable's influence.