Matthew 25:5

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
While	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
the bridegroom	νυμφίου numphiou	G3566	a bride-groom (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular masculine
tarried	χρονίζοντος chronizontos	G5549	to take time · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
they	ἐνύσταξαν enustaxan	G3573	to nod · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
all	πᾶσαι pasai	G3956	all · adjective — nominative plural feminine
slumbered	νυστάζω nystázō	G3573	to nod
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
slept	ἐκάθευδον.¶ ekatheudon	G2518	to lie down to rest · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural

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

Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surel…
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
2 Peter 3:4-9 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of th…
Matthew 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Luke 20:9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far cou…
Matthew 25:19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mark 14:37-38 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and d…

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

Commentary

John Gill on Matthew 25:5

While the bridegroom tarried,.... The space of time here referred to, is either from the ascension of Christ, to his coming to take vengeance on the Jews; or from thence to his second coming; or rather from the time of some general expectation by the saints, of the near approach of Christ, till such time he does come: for as there was a general expectation of the coming of Christ before he came in the flesh, so there will be a general expectation of Christ being near at hand some time before his second coming; and because such an expectation will not be answered, or Christ will not come so soon as was hoped for, and expected, a general drowsiness, and security, and unconcernedness, especiall…

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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 25:5

Both the prudent and the foolish bridesmaids sleep while waiting. The parable criticizes only the foolish bridesmaids’ failure to bring enough oil.

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

(ubi sup.) For there die of both kinds of men in this interval of time before the resurrection of the dead, and the Lord's coming shall be.
— Augustine of Hippo ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(Hom. in Ev. xii. 1.) To sleep is to die, to slumber before sleep is to faint from salvation before death, because, by the burden of sickness we come to the sleep of death.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Or, They slumbered, i. e. they were dead. And then follows, And slept, because they were to be afterwards wakened. While the bridegroom tarried, shows that no little time intervened between the Lord's first and second coming.
— Jerome ((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…
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…
Bridegroom · Parable of — Parable of
Confidence · FALSE — FALSE
Fool · .Of the foolish virgns — .Of the foolish virgns
Fools · Are: Mere professors of religion — Are: Mere professors of religion
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Kingdom Of Heaven · .To ten virgins — .To ten virgins
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 — Parables of christ: Ten virgins
Procrastination · 11:2,3;12:22,27,28; — 11:2,3;12:22,27,28;
Resurrection · General scriptures concerning