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Matthew 25

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The Parable of the Ten Virgins 1–13

1
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ​
2
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3
For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them:
4
but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ​
5
Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ​
6
But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him.
7
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out.
9
But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10
And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. ​
11
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ​
13
Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. ​

The Parable of the Talents 14–30

14
Forit isaswhena man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ​
15
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. ​
16
Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents.
17
In like manner he also that received the two gained other two.
18
But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. ​
19
Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them.
20
And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents.
21
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ​
22
And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents.
23
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24
And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; ​
25
and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
26
But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; ​
27
thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest.
28
Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents.
29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. ​
30
And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. ​

The Sheep and the Goats 31–46

31
But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: ​
32
and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; ​
33
and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ​
35
for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
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naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?
38
And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39
And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. ​
41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: ​
42
for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
43
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44
Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me.
46
And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 25

Verse 1

ten virgins — 'Then' ties the parable to the close of chapter 24: 'Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come' (Matt 24:42). The parthenoi take 'lamps' (lampas, torches or lamps) 'to meet the bridegroom'; the marriage of the Lamb is the picture in Rev 19:7.

Verse 4

oil in their vessels — Elaion is olive oil, here carried in separate 'vessels' (angeion) beside the lamps, a supply held in reserve. The oil is commonly read of the Spirit's anointing: 'the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you' (1 John 2:27). Only the wise brought it.

Verse 5

tarried — Chronizo, to take time, to linger: the delay that the evil servant voices, 'My lord delayeth his coming' (Matt 24:48). The 'all' includes the wise virgins; they slept too. The promise stands though it seems late: 'though it tarry, wait for it' (Hab 2:3; cf. 2 Pet 3:9).

Verse 10

the door was shut — Those 'ready' (hetoimos) go in 'to the marriage' (gamos), the wedding feast, and the door closes while the others are away buying. The shut door recalls the ark, where 'the LORD shut him in' (Gen 7:16), and Christ's word of the master who 'hath shut to the door' (Luke 13:25).

Verse 12

I know you not — Introduced by 'Verily I say unto you', the bridegroom's refusal matches the sentence of Matt 7:23, 'I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.' Its counterpart is the Shepherd's word, 'I know them, and they follow me' (John 10:27); 'The Lord knoweth them that are his' (2 Tim 2:19).

Verse 13

Watch therefore — Gregoreo, to keep awake, is the very word of Matt 24:42. Since all ten slept (v.5), the command means being found prepared, as in 'be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh' (Matt 24:44). The 'day' and 'hour' stay unknown.

Verse 14

a man travelling into a far country — Apodemeo, to go abroad. He 'delivered' (paradidomi, entrusted) 'his goods' (hyparchonta, possessions) to 'his own servants' (douloi, bondservants). Mark gives the same picture of the Son of man: 'a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work' (Mark 13:34).

Verse 15

five talents — Talanton was first a weight, then the largest sum of money in reckoning; the debt of 'ten thousand talents' (Matt 18:24) shows the scale. The gifts are unequal, 'to every man according to his several ability' (dynamis), and the charge in the parallel is 'Occupy till I come' (Luke 19:13).

Verse 18

digged in the earth — Orysso, to burrow or dig; he 'hid' (apokrypto) 'his lord's money' (argyrion, silver). The others 'went and traded' (v.16); this servant neither spent nor lost the sum, and in v.25 returns it whole. The parallel has the pound 'laid up in a napkin' (Luke 19:20).

Verse 21

Well done — Eu, 'well'; 'good' (agathos) and 'faithful' (pistos, trustworthy) are repeated word for word to the two-talent servant in v.23. The praise rests on faithfulness 'over a few things', the principle of Luke 16:10, and the reward is rule and 'the joy' (chara) 'of thy lord'.

Verse 24

an hard man — Skleros, hard, harsh. 'Strawed' is diaskorpizo, to scatter, as in winnowing. The charge is the servant's own reading of his lord; the parallel gives it as 'an austere man, taking up that I laid not down' (Luke 19:22). His fear (v.25) is the reason he gives for the buried talent.

Verse 26

wicked and slothful — Poneros, evil, and okneros, slothful, idle. The lord does not grant the charge but uses it: if the servant 'knewest' such a master, he should have acted (v.27). The parallel states the principle: 'Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee' (Luke 19:22).

Verse 29

unto every one that hath — A saying Christ repeats elsewhere: 'whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance' (Matt 13:12; cf. Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18). 'Abundance' is perisseuo, to overflow. Here it explains why the one talent goes to the servant who has ten (v.28).

Verse 30

outer darkness — Exoteros skotos, the darkness outside. The sentence 'there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth' stands also in Matt 8:12 and 22:13, there too with 'outer darkness'. The 'unprofitable' (achreios, useless) servant is the one who did nothing with what he was given.

Verse 31

the throne of his glory — The same throne appears in Matt 19:28, 'when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory'. He comes with 'all the holy angels' (cf. 2 Thess 1:7, 'with his mighty angels'). From here the passage is no longer introduced as a parable, as the earlier ones were.

Verse 32

all nations — Ethne, the nations, gathered 'before him'. The shepherd's sorting of sheep from 'goats' (eriphos, kids) draws on the Lord GOD's word to his flock: 'I judge between cattle and cattle' (Ezek 34:17). Matt 13:49 states the same work: 'sever the wicked from among the just'.

Verse 34

Come, ye blessed of my Father — The King calls those 'blessed' (eulogeo) to 'inherit' (kleronomeo) a kingdom 'prepared' (hetoimazo) 'for you from the foundation of the world'. The kingdom was prepared for them; the fire of v.41 was prepared 'for the devil and his angels'. Cf. Rev 21:7, 'He that overcometh shall inherit all things'.

Verse 40

one of the least of these my brethren — Elachistos is the superlative, 'least'. The King counts service to them as service to himself, as he had said of a cup of cold water given to 'one of these little ones' (Matt 10:42). Whether the 'brethren' are disciples or the needy generally, 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD' (Prov 19:17).

Verse 41

ye cursed — Kataraomai. Unlike 'blessed of my Father' (v.34), the sentence omits the Father's name, and the fire was 'prepared for the devil and his angels', not for them. 'Depart from me' recalls Matt 7:23. 'Everlasting' (aionios) is the word used of the life in v.46.

Verse 46

everlasting punishment — Kolasis is penal infliction. One Greek word, aionios, qualifies both 'punishment' and 'life eternal', so the two outcomes are set side by side. The pairing follows Dan 12:2, 'some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt'; cf. John 5:29.