Matthew 25:35

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:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γὰρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
I was an hungred	ἐπείνασα epeinasa	G3983	"pine") · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
ye gave	ἐδώκατέ edōkate	G1325	to give (used in a very wide application · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
me	μοί moí	G3427	to me
meat	φαγεῖν, phagein	G5315	to eat (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist active infinitive
I was thirsty	ἐδίψησα edipsēsa	G1372	to thirst for (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
ye gave	ἐποτίσατέ epotisate	G4222	to furnish drink · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
me	μοι moi	G3165	me · personal pronoun — 1st person dative singular
drink	ποτίζω potízō	G4222	to furnish drink
I was	ἤμην ḗmēn	G2252	I was
a stranger	ξένος xenos	G3581	foreign (literally · adjective — nominative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
ye took	συνηγάγετέ sunēgagete	G4863	to lead together · verb — second aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
me	με, me	G3165	me · personal pronoun — 1st person accusative singular
in	συνάγω synágō	G4863	to lead together

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

1 John 3:16-19 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
James 2:15-16 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt n…
Ezekiel 18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, a…
Ezekiel 18:16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and ha…
Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself u…
Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue.

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

Commentary

John Gill on Matthew 25:35

For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat..... This, and the following, are not mentioned as causes of the kingdom being prepared for them, or of their being entitled to it, or of their being put into the possession of it; but as descriptive of their characters, and as testimonies and evidences of the grace of God in them; by which it appeared, that they were the blessed of his Father, having his special grace vouchsafed unto them; and that they were the children of God, to whom the inheritance of the kingdom belonged, and for whom it was prepared: for what was done by them in time, could never be the cause of what was done for them in eternity, or before, or from the foundation of the world…

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John Calvin on Matthew 25:31–end

Matthew 25:31-46 Matthew 25:31-46 Luke 21:37-38 31. Now 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 all the nations shall be assembled before him; and he shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. 33. And he shall place the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on the left. 34. Then will the King say to those who shall be on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 25:35-36

The deeds described here, often called “deeds of mercy,” were acts of compassion shown to the helpless (see Isa 58:1-12; Ezek 18:7; Jas 1:26-27). These good deeds are not attempts to merit God’s favor; rather, they arise from a love for Christ that results in compassion toward others (see 6:1-4).

Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Clarke, Gill, Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch are in the public domain; Tyndale Open Study Notes © Tyndale House Publishers, CC BY-SA 4.0 — all from the Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org). Rashi: the Rosenbaum & Silbermann Pentateuch (public domain) and the Judaica Press and Metsudah Tanakh (CC BY), via Sefaria. Spurgeon's Treasury of David: public domain (lyteword's markdown edition, CC0).

The Church Fathers

Mystically, He who with the bread of the word and the drink of wisdom refreshes the soul hungering and thirsting after righteousness, or admits into the home of our mother the Church him who is wandering in heresy or sin, or who strengthens the weak in faith, such an one discharges the obligations of true love.
— Rabanus Maurus ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

A brother asked a hermit, 'Suppose there are two monks: one stays quietly in his cell, fasting for six days at a time, laying many hardships on himself: and the other ministers to the sick. Which of them is more pleasing to God?' He replied, 'Even if the brother who fasts six days hung himself up by his nose, he wouldn't be the equal of him who ministers to the sick.'
— Desert Fathers, The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks

(Mor. xxvi. 27.) These, to whom as they stand on His right hand the Judge at His coming shall say, I was an hungred &c. are they who are judged on the side of the elect, and who reign; who wash away the stains of their life with tears; who redeem former sins by good deeds following; who, whatever unlawful thing they have at any time done, have covered it from the Judge's eyes by a cloak of alms. Others indeed there are who are not judged, yet reign, who have gone even beyond the precepts of the Law in the perfection of their virtue.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((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

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…
Afflicted · DUTY TO THE — DUTY TO THE
Aliens · Hospitality to, required by Jesus — Hospitality to, required by Jesus
Beneficence · 18:5,7-9; — 18:5,7-9;
Commandments · DISCOURSE — DISCOURSE
Duty · OF MAN TO MAN — OF MAN TO MAN
Hospitality · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Judgment, The · Christ will acknowledge saints at — Christ will acknowledge saints at
Kindness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Liberality · 3:10-12; — 3:10-12;
Love · 0F MAN FOR JESUS — 0F MAN FOR JESUS
Love To Man · Should be exhibited, in: Ministering to the wants of others — Should be exhibited, in: Ministering to the wants of others