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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, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ​
2
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ​
5
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ​
6
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out 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 gone out.
9
But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: 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 neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. ​

The Parable of the Talents 14–30

14
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ​
15
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. ​
16
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. ​
19
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20
And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ​
22
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ​
25
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26
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 have not strawed: ​
27
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ​
30
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ​

The Sheep and the Goats 31–46

31
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ​
32
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his 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 an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36
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 an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39
Or 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 have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ​
41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ​
42
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: 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 him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, 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 to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · 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.