Matthew 25:1

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Then	Τότε Tote	G5119	the when · adverb
the kingdom	βασιλεία basileia	G932	properly · noun — nominative singular feminine
of heaven	οὐρανῶν ouranōn	G3772	the sky · noun — genitive plural masculine
be likened	ὁμοιωθήσεται homoiōthēsetai	G3666	to assimilate · verb — future passive indicative, 3rd person singular
unto	παρθένοις parthenois	G3933	a maiden · noun — dative plural feminine
ten	δέκα deka	G1176	ten · adjective — numeral, indeclinable
virgins	παρθένος parthénos	G3933	a maiden
which	αἵτινες aitines	G3748	which some · relative pronoun — nominative plural feminine
took	λαβοῦσαι labousai	G2983	while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent · verb — second aorist active participle, nominative plural feminine
their	αὐτός autós	G846	the reflexive pronoun self
lamps	λαμπάδας lampadas	G2985	a "lamp" or flambeau · noun — accusative plural feminine
and went	ἐξῆλθον exēlthon	G1831	to issue (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
forth	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
to meet	ἀπάντησις apántēsis	G529	a (friendly) encounter
the bridegroom	νυμφίου. numphiou	G3566	a bride-groom (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Luke 12:35-36 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Matthew 24:42-51 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Philippians 2:15-16 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine a…
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the…
Revelation 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hi…
Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he…
Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

John Gill on Matthew 25:1

Then shall the kingdom of heaven,.... The Gospel church state; See Gill on Matthew 13:24 either as it would be a little before the coming of the son of man to take vengeance on the Jews; or as it will be a little before his second coming to judgment: for the parable is manifestly connected with, and refers to the preceding chapter, which chiefly treats of Jerusalem's destruction: but though the Jews were in great security before their utter ruin, yet it does not appear that the Christian church was then in such a lukewarm, drowsy, and sleepy condition, as this parable represents; and since, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, there are some hints of Christ's second and last coming;…

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John Calvin on Matthew 25:1-13

Matthew 25:1-13 Matthew 25:1-13 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3. They that were foolish, while they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. 5. And while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6. And at midnight a cry arose, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go you out to meet him. 7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. 9. But the wise answered, saying, By no means, lest…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 25:1-13

This parable reinforces the need for individuals to be watchful and to prepare for the return of Christ (25:13; see also Luke 12:35-36). 25:1 To meet the bridegroom is an image for the coming of the Messiah (see Mark 2:19-20). • Details of wedding customs during the period are not known. Some think that the bride was led to the home of the bridegroom, who would stay away until the time appointed for the wedding feast. The bridesmaids, who had already escorted the bride to the groom’s home, would then wait for news of his arrival and escort him to the feast (Matt 25:10). Others think the groom may have come late in the night to the bride’s home, where he was announced. Then, after celebratin…

The Church Fathers

Then, because all this discourse is concerning the great day of the Lord, concerning which He had been speaking before.
— Hilary of Poitiers ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(Lib. 83 Quæst. q. 59.) Or, The lamps which they carry in their hands are their works, of which it was said above, Let your works shine before men. (Mat. 5:16.)
— Augustine of Hippo ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Or, The bridegroom and the bride represent our Lord God in the body, for the flesh is the bride of the spirit. The lamps are the light of bright souls which shine forth in the sacrament of baptismb.
— Hilary of Poitiers ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Bride — Frequently used in the ordinary sense (Isa. 49:18; 61:10, etc.). The relation between Christ and his church is set forth under the figure of that between a bridegroom and bride (John 3:29). The…
Heaven — (1.) Definitions. The phrase “heaven and earth” is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen. 1:1; Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens, (a) The firmament,…
Judgment, The final — The sentence that will be passed on our actions at the last day (Matt. 25; Rom. 14:10, 11; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). The judge is Jesus Christ, as mediator. All judgment is committed to him…
Lamp — (1.) That part of the candle-sticks of the tabernacle and the temple which bore the light (Ex. 25:37; 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chr. 4:20; 13:11; Zech. 4:2). Their form is not described. Olive oil was…
Bridegroom · Parable of — Parable of
Fool · .Of the foolish virgns — .Of the foolish virgns
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Kingdom Of Heaven · .To ten virgins — .To ten virgins
Lamps · Used for lighting: Marriage processions — Used for lighting: Marriage processions
Marriage · The bridegroom: Returned with the bride to his house at night — The bridegroom: Returned with the bride to his house at night
Opportunity · THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY — THE MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Parables · Parables of christ: Ten virgins