King James Version
Matthew 25
46 verses with commentary
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The parable's opening 'Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom' uses a wedding metaphor for Christ's return. The ten virgins represent those professing faith awaiting Christ (bridegroom). All had lamps (external profession) but only five had oil (genuine faith/Spirit). The delayed bridegroom tests perseverance. Thi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXV.
(1) **Then shall the kingdom of heaven** **. . .**—The three parables of this chapter appear here as in closest sequence to the great discourse of Matthew 24, and are as its natural conclusion. On the other hand, no trace of such parables being then spoken appears either in St. Mark or St. Luke, and their absence is at least a phenomenon that calls for explanation. That which seems most proba...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And five of them were wise, and five were foolish</strong> (πέντε ἦσαν φρόνιμοι καὶ πέντε μωραί, <em>pente ēsan phronimoi kai pente mōrai</em>). The Greek <em>phronimos</em> ('wise') denotes prudent foresight, practical wisdom, not mere intelligence. <em>Mōros</em> ('foolish') is the root of 'moron'—denoting moral and spiritual dullness, not intellectual deficiency (cf. Matthew 7:24-27 whe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Five of them were wise.**—The word is the same as in Matthew 24:45, where see Note.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them</strong> (αἱ μωραὶ λαβοῦσαι τὰς λαμπάδας αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔλαβον μεθ᾽ ἑαυτῶν ἔλαιον, <em>hai mōrai labousai tas lampadas autōn ouk elabon meth' heautōn elaion</em>). The foolish virgins possessed lamps (λαμπάδας, <em>lampadas</em>—torches or oil lamps used in wedding processions) but lacked additional <strong>oil</strong> (ἔλαιον,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Took no oil with them.**—In the interpretation of the parable, the lamp or torch is obviously the outward life of holiness by which the disciple of Christ lets his light shine before men (Matthew 5:16), and the “oil” is the divine grace, or more definitely, the gift of the Holy Spirit, without which the torch first burns dimly and then expires. The foolish virgins neglected to seek that supp...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps</strong> (αἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι ἔλαβον ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις μετὰ τῶν λαμπάδων ἑαυτῶν, <em>hai de phronimoi elabon elaion en tois angeiois meta tōn lampadōn heautōn</em>). The wise carried extra oil in <strong>vessels</strong> (ἀγγείοις, <em>angeiois</em>)—separate containers beyond what the lamps already held. This was deliberate preparat...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept</strong> (χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου ἐνύσταξαν πᾶσαι καὶ ἐκάθευδον, <em>chronizontos de tou nymphiou enystaxan pasai kai ekhathedon</em>). The bridegroom's delay (χρονίζοντος, <em>chronizontos</em>—'delaying, taking time') caused all ten virgins to drowse (<em>enystaxan</em>—nodding off) and sleep (<em>ekhathedon</em>—falling fully...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **While the bridegroom tarried.**—Strictly speaking, the time thus described includes the whole interval between our Lord’s Ascension and His final Advent; but looking to the law of “springing and germinant accomplishments,” which we have recognised as applicable to the whole subject, we may see in it that which answers to any period in the history of any church, or, indeed, in the life of any...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him</strong> (μέσης δὲ νυκτὸς κραυγὴ γέγονεν, Ἰδοὺ ὁ νυμφίος, ἐξέρχεσθε εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ, <em>mesēs de nyktos kraugē gegonen, Idou ho nymphios, exerchesthe eis apantēsin autou</em>). <strong>Midnight</strong>—the darkest hour, when sleep is deepest and vigilance most difficult. The <strong>cry</strong...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **At midnight.**—The hour was obviously later than the virgins had expected, and in this we may see a half-veiled suggestion of a like lateness in the coining of the true Bridegroom. The “cry” would be that of the companions of the bridegroom, or of the crowd that mingled with them. In the interpretation of the parable we may see in it, over and above its reference to the final Advent, that wh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps</strong> (τότε ἠγέρθησαν πᾶσαι αἱ παρθένοι ἐκεῖναι καὶ ἐκόσμησαν τὰς λαμπάδας ἑαυτῶν, <em>tote ēgerthēsan pasai hai parthenoi ekeinai kai ekosmēsan tas lampadas heautōn</em>). Both groups awoke immediately and <strong>trimmed</strong> (ἐκόσμησαν, <em>ekosmēsan</em>—'adorned, put in order') their lamps—cutting burnt wicks and adding oil ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. gone out: or, going out
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out</strong> (σβέννυνται, <em>sbennyntai</em>—present passive, 'are being quenched/extinguished'). The crisis exposes the foolish virgins' unpreparedness: their lamps sputter and die at the crucial moment. Their request—<strong>Give us of your oil</strong> (δότε ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὑμῶν, <em>dote hēmin ek tou el...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Our lamps are gone out.**—Better, as in the margin, *are going out.* They were not quite extinguished; the flax was still smoking.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you</strong>—the wise virgins' refusal seems harsh but reflects spiritual reality: they cannot transfer their oil. <strong>But go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves</strong> (πορεύεσθε μᾶλλον πρὸς τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράσατε ἑαυταῖς, <em>poreuesthe mallon pros tous pōlountas kai agorasate heautais<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Not so.**—The words, as the italics show, are not in the Greek. They are, perhaps, necessary to complete the sense in English; but there is a tone of regretful tenderness in the way in which, in the original, the wise virgins give the reason that makes compliance with the request impossible, without directly uttering a refusal.
**Go ye rather to them that sell.**—This feature in the parable ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong> (κέκλεισται, <em>kekleistai</em>—perfect passive, 'stands shut' with permanent results). The timing is devastating: the foolish leave to seek oil, and in their absence the bridegroom arrives. <strong>They that were ready</strong> (αἱ ἕτοιμοι, <em>hai he...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **While they went to buy.**—The words imply that had they gone earlier, as the wise virgins, by hypothesis, had done, all would have been well. The mistake lay in their not having gone before. It is too late, in other words, to have recourse to the ordinary means of grace for the formation of character, to ordinances, sacraments, rules of life, at the moment of the crisis in personal or natio...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us</strong> (Κύριε κύριε, ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν, <em>Kyrie kyrie, anoixon hēmin</em>). The foolish virgins return, frantically pounding on the door. Their repeated address, <strong>Lord, Lord</strong> (Κύριε κύριε, <em>Kyrie kyrie</em>), echoes Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus warns, 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall e...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not</strong> (Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς, <em>Amēn legō hymin, ouk oida hymas</em>). The bridegroom's response is chilling: <strong>I know you not</strong> (οὐκ οἶδα, <em>ouk oida</em>)—not mere lack of acquaintance but covenantal repudiation. In biblical usage, 'knowing' implies intimate relationship (Genesis 4:1, Amos 3:2, Jo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **I know you not.**—The sentence of rejection is clothed in the same language as in Matthew 7:23. The Lord “ are His” (2Timothy 2:19), and their blessedness will be to know Him even as they are known (1Corinthians 13:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The parable's conclusion 'Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh' reiterates the Olivet discourse's central theme. 'Watch' means spiritual vigilance and readiness. The unknown timing ('neither day nor hour') prevents complacency and calculation. The five foolish virgins weren't ready when the bridegroom came—external religion without genuine faith. ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
The parable of the ten virgins.(1-13)
The parable of the talents.(14-30)
The judgment.(31-46)
**Verses 1-13**
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour ...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Talents
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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country</strong>—Jesus introduces His parable with <em>basileía tōn ouranōn</em> (βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν), marking this as eschatological teaching about Christ's ascension and return. The <em>anthrōpos apodēmōn</em> (ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν, traveling man) represents Christ departing to receive His kingdom (cf. Luke 19:12).<br><br><strong>Cal...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **For the kingdom of heaven.**—The italicised words are introduced for the sake of grammatical completeness. The Greek runs simply, “For as a man . . . called his own servants,” with no formal close to the comparison. The parable thus introduced has obviously many points in common with that of the Pounds recorded by St. Luke (Luke 19:12-27), but the distinctive features of each are also so ch...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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. talents: a talent is 187.pounds 10.ten shillings, chap.18.24
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one</strong>—A <em>talanton</em> (τάλαντον) was roughly 75 pounds of silver, worth approximately 6,000 denarii (a denarius being a day's wage). Even one talent represented 16+ years of wages—staggering wealth entrusted to slaves. The unequal distribution refutes egalitarianism: God distributes gifts sovereignly.<br><br><strong>T...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Unto one he gave five talents.**—On the value of the talent see the Note on Matthew 18:24. The languages of modern Europe bear witness, in their use of the word, to the impression which the parable has made. A man’s energies, gifts, capacities, are the “talents,” for the use of which he will have to render an account. We speak, though in this case the word is hardly more than an ill-coined ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He that had received the five talents went and traded with the same</strong>—The verb <em>ērgazomai</em> (ἐργάζομαι, worked/traded) implies active labor and risk-taking. The servant didn't wait for passive growth but <em>immediately</em> engaged in commerce. The doubling (<em>epoiēsen alla pente</em>, ἐποίησεν ἄλλα πέντε) demonstrates 100% return, extraordinary by any measure.<br><br>This ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Traded with the same.**—Literally, *wrought,* or, *was busy.* The fact that the capital was doubled implies that the trading was both active and prosperous.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two</strong>—The Greek <em>hōsautōs</em> (ὡσαύτως, likewise) emphasizes that the two-talent servant receives <em>identical</em> commendation as the five-talent servant (v.23). Both doubled their master's investment; both are called 'good and faithful.' God measures faithfulness relative to opportunity, not absolute results.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money</strong>—The strong adversative <em>de</em> (δέ, but) signals a sharp contrast. While the others traded immediately, this servant <em>ōryxen</em> (ὤρυξεν, dug) and <em>ekrypsen</em> (ἔκρυψεν, hid) the <em>argyrion</em> (ἀργύριον, silver/money).<br><br>Burying valuables was common theft-prevention, considere...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **He that had received one** **. . .**—There is something strikingly suggestive in the fact that those who had received the higher sums were “good and faithful,” and that it was left to the man who had received the smallest to fail in his duty. Failure in the use of wider opportunities brings with it a greater condemnation; but it is true, as a fact of human nature which our Lord thus recogni...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them</strong>—The phrase <em>meta polun chronon</em> (μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον, after much time) reflects the already/not yet tension of Christ's kingdom. His return seemed delayed even to first-century believers (2 Peter 3:4), testing whether servants would maintain faithfulness across decades.<br><br><strong>Reckoneth</stro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **After a long time.**—Here, as in the previous parable, there is a faint suggestion, as it were, of a longer delay than men looked for in the Coming which is the counterpart to this.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more</strong>—The servant's report emphasizes his master's initial entrustment (<em>pente talanta moi paredōkas</em>, πέντε τάλαντα μοι παρέδωκας) before claiming any credit. The word <em>ekerdēsa</em> (ἐκέρδησα, I gained) acknowledges effort but attributes opportunity to the master.<br><br>The phra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **I have gained beside them five talents more.**—The result of the right use of opportunities could not be otherwise expressed within the limits of the imagery of the parable. In the kingdom of God the gain commonly takes another form than the mere increase of the gifts or opportunities which we call “talents” (though even here that increase is often the result of faithfulness), and appears a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse concludes the Parable of the Talents, where a master commends his faithful servant. 'Well done' (εὖ/eu) expresses approval and satisfaction. 'Good and faithful' (ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ/agathe kai piste) describes the servant's character—morally excellent and consistently trustworthy. The commendation focuses on faithfulness 'over a few things' (ἐπὶ ὀλίγα/epi oliga), not success measured by wor...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **I will make thee ruler over many things.**—Better, I *will set thee over many things.* The word “ruler” is not in the Greek. Here again, as in Matthew 24:47, we have a glimpse given us into the future that lies behind the veil. So far as the parable brings before us prominently either the final judgment or that which follows upon each man’s death, we see that the reward of faithful work lie...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents</strong>—The two-talent servant's report mirrors the five-talent servant's almost verbatim. Both acknowledge the master's initial investment before reporting results. The identical language (<em>Kyrie, dyo talanta moi paredōkas</em>, Κύριε, δύο τάλαντα μοι παρέδωκας) shows that faithfulness isn'...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Well done, good and faithful servant</strong>—<em>Eu, doule agathe kai piste</em> (Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ): 'Well [done], good and faithful slave.' <em>Agathos</em> (ἀγαθός) denotes intrinsic moral goodness, <em>pistos</em> (πιστός) means trustworthy/reliable. God evaluates character, not just productivity. Note: He doesn't say 'successful' or 'talented'—He says <em>faithful</em>.<br><b...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man</strong>—<em>Sklēros ei anthrōpos</em> (σκληρὸς εἶ ἄνθρωπος): 'You are a harsh/austere man.' The servant's theology is catastrophically wrong—he views his master as cruel and exploitative. This reveals the root problem: not inability, but a distorted view of God's character. Fear rooted in false belief produces disobedience masquerading as cautio...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **I knew thee that thou art an hard man.**—The word “hard” points to stiffness of character—St. Luke’s “austere,” to harshness and bitterness. Was the plea an after-thought, put forward as an excuse for what had been originally sloth pure and simple? On that view, the lesson taught is that neglect of loyal service leads before long to disloyal thoughts. But it may have been our Lord’s intenti...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I was afraid</strong>—<em>Ephobēthēn</em> (ἐφοβήθην): the servant admits fear motivated his inaction. But this fear isn't reverential awe (<em>phobos</em> as in 'fear of the Lord')—it's craven terror rooted in a false view of God. Proverbs 29:25 warns, 'The fear of man brings a snare.' This servant feared failure, judgment, and loss more than he loved his master.<br><br><strong>And wen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And I was afraid.**—The words are those of simulated rather than real fear. That would have led him to shrink from the unfaithful service which was sure to draw down his master’s anger. The excuse did but cover the implied taunt that he dared not venture anything in the service of a master who would make no allowance for intentions where the result was failure. So, in the life of the soul, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou wicked and slothful servant</strong>—<em>Ponēre doule kai oknēre</em> (πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ὀκνηρέ): 'evil slave and lazy.' <em>Ponēros</em> (πονηρός) means actively wicked, not just mistaken. <em>Oknēros</em> (ὀκνηρός) means lazy/slothful. The master's verdict combines moral and practical failure: the servant's fear-based theology produced wicked inaction.<br><br><strong>Thou knewest tha...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Thou wicked and slothful servant.**—The words of the master pierce below the false excuse, and reveal the faults which had eaten like a canker into the man’s heart and soul.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers</strong>—<em>Edei se oun balein ta argyria mou tois trapezitais</em> (ἔδει σέ οὖν βαλεῖν τὰ ἀργύριά μου τοῖς τραπεζίταις): 'You ought to have deposited my silver with the bankers.' <em>Trapezitai</em> (τραπεζίται) were money-changers/bankers who paid interest on deposits. Even the <em>minimum</em> effort—letting others invest t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers.**—Literally, *table* or *counter-keepers,* just as bankers were originally those who sat at their *bancum,* or bench. These were the bankers referred to in the Note on Matthew 25:14. In that case, if the servant had been honestly conscious of his own want of power, there would have been at least some interest allowed on the dep...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents</strong>—<em>Arate oun ap' autou to talanton kai dote tō echonti ta deka talanta</em> (ἄρατε οὖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ δότε τῷ ἔχοντι τὰ δέκα τάλαντα). The unfaithful servant loses even what he had. The faithful servant with ten (five original + five gained) receives the forfeited talent.<br><br>This seems ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Take therefore the talent from him.**—The sentence passed on the slothful servant confirms the view which sees in the “talents” the external opportunities given to a man for the use of his abilities. The abilities themselves cannot be thus transferred; the opportunities can, and often are, even in the approximate working out of the law of retribution which we observe on earth. Here also men...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance</strong>—<em>Tō gar echonti panti dothēsetai kai perisseuthēsetai</em> (τῷ γὰρ ἔχοντι παντὶ δοθήσεται καὶ περισσευθήσεται): 'For to everyone having, it shall be given and he shall have abundance.' <em>Perisseuthēsetai</em> (περισσευθήσεται) means overflow/superabundance. This is the compound-interest principle of the ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Unto every one that hath.**—The meaning and practical working of the law thus stated have been sufficiently illustrated in the Note on Matthew 25:28. What is noteworthy here is the extreme generality with which the law is stated. Analogies of that law are, it need even scarcely be said, to be found both in nature and in human society. Non-user tends to invalidate legal right. A muscle that ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 25 Mt 25:1-13. Parable of the Ten Virgins.
This and the following parable are in Matthew alone.
**1. Then--**at the time referred to at the close of the preceding chapter, the time of the Lord's Second Coming to reward His faithful servants and take vengeance on the faithless. Then
**shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to me...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness</strong>—<em>Ton achreion doulon ekbalete eis to skotos to exōteron</em> (τὸν ἀχρεῖον δοῦλον ἐκβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον): 'the useless slave, cast out into the outer darkness.' <em>Achreios</em> (ἀχρεῖος) means unprofitable/useless—the servant produced nothing, making him worthless to the master's enterprise. The outer darkne...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Cast ye the unprofitable servant . . .**—We have had so far the special punishment of sloth, but it is not complete without the solemn and emphatic recurrence of the “darkness” and “gnashing of teeth.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish--**They are not distinguished into good and bad, as Trench observes, but into "wise" and "foolish"--just as in Mt 7:25-27 those who reared their house for eternity are distinguished into "wise" and "foolish builders"; because in both cases a certain degree of goodwill towards the truth is assumed. To make anything of the equal number of both c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-30**
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have d...
Read full commentary →The Final Judgment
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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The scene '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' depicts final judgment. 'Son of man' (Jesus' favorite self-designation from Daniel 7:13) emphasizes His humanity and authority to judge. 'In his glory' contrasts with His humiliation at first coming. 'All holy angels' accompany Him as witnesses and executors of ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **When the Son of man shall come.**—We commonly speak of the concluding portion of this chapter as the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, but it is obvious from its very beginning that it passes beyond the region of parable into that of divine realities, and that the sheep and goats form only a subordinate and parenthetic illustration. The form of the announcement is in part based, as indeed...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Before him shall be gathered all nations</strong> (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, <em>panta ta ethnē</em>)—the universal scope of final judgment encompasses every people group, not just Israel. The Greek <em>ethne</em> emphasizes Gentile inclusion in Christ's eschatological tribunal.<br><br><strong>As a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats</strong> (ὥσπερ ὁ ποιμὴν ἀφορίζει, <em>hōsper ho poimēn apho...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **Before him shall be gathered all nations.**—Better, *all the nations,* or even better, perhaps, *all the Gentiles.* The word is that which, when used, as here, with the article, marks out, with scarcely an exception, the heathen nations of the world as distinguished from God’s people Israel (as, *e.g.,* in Romans 15:11-12; Ephesians 2:11). The word, thus taken, serves as the key to the dist...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps--**What are these "lamps" and this "oil"? Many answers have been given. But since the foolish as well as the wise took their lamps and went forth with them to meet the Bridegroom, these lighted lamps and this advance a certain way in company with the wise, must denote that Christian profession which is common to all who bear the Christia...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Sheep on his right hand</strong> (τὰ πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν, <em>ta probata ek dexiōn</em>)—The right hand (<em>dexios</em>) symbolizes honor, favor, and power throughout Scripture (Psalm 110:1, Acts 2:33-34). Sheep represent the redeemed, characterized by recognizing the Shepherd's voice (John 10:27).<br><br><strong>Goats on the left</strong> (τὰ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων, <em>ta eriphia ex euōnymōn<...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. While the bridegroom tarried--**So in Mt 24:48, "My Lord delayeth His coming"; and so Peter says sublimely of the ascended Saviour, "Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things" (Ac 3:21, and compare Lu 19:11, 12). Christ "tarries," among other reasons, to try the faith and patience of His people.
**they all slumbered and slept--**the wise as well as the foolis...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The King's invitation 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world' reveals election and grace. 'Blessed of my Father' shows salvation originates in divine favor, not human merit. 'Inherit' indicates receiving what belongs to children—adoption language. 'Prepared... from the foundation of the world' emphasizes God's eternal plan (Ephesians 1...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Ye blessed of my Father.**—The Greek is not identical with “blessed *by* my Father,” but means rather, “ye blessed ones who *belong to* my Father.”
**Inherit the kingdom prepared for you.**—Yes; not for Israel only, or those among the brethren who should in this life believe in Christ, had the kingdom been prepared, but for these also. For those who came from east and west and north and sou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. And at midnight--**that is, the time when the Bridegroom will be least expected; for "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1Th 5:2).
**there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him--**that is, Be ready to welcome Him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat</strong> (ἐπείνασα καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, <em>epeinasa kai edōkate moi phagein</em>)—The aorist tense verbs indicate specific historical acts, not mere sentiment. The King identifies completely with His suffering people; ministry <em>to</em> the needy is ministry <em>to</em> Christ Himself.<br><br><strong>I was thirsty... a stranger</strong> (ἐδιψησα....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **I was an hungred.**—The passage furnishes six out of the list of the seven corporal works of mercy in Christian ethics, the seventh being found in the care and nurture of the fatherless.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps--**the foolish virgins as well as the wise. How very long do both parties seem the same--almost to the moment of decision! Looking at the mere form of the parable, it is evident that the folly of "the foolish" consisted not in having no oil at all; for they must have had oil enough in their lamps to keep them burning up to this moment: the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Naked, and ye clothed me</strong> (γυμνὸς καὶ περιεβάλετέ με, <em>gymnos kai periebalete me</em>)—<em>Gymnos</em> could mean completely naked or inadequately clothed; the verb <em>periballō</em> means to throw around, to cover. Job's cry 'Naked I came... naked shall I return' (Job 1:21) frames human vulnerability before God.<br><br><strong>Sick, and ye visited me</strong> (ἠσθένησα καὶ ἐπε...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Ye visited me.**—The Greek word is somewhat stronger than the modern meaning of the English, and includes “looking after,” “caring for.” The verb is formed from the same root as *Episcopos,* the bishop, or overseer of the Church.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out--**rather, as in the Margin, "are going out"; for oil will not light an extinguished lamp, though it will keep a burning one from going out. Ah! now at length they have discovered not only their own folly, but the wisdom of the other class, and they do homage to it. They did not perhaps despise them before, bu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then shall the righteous answer</strong> (τότε ἀποκριθήσονται οἱ δίκαιοι, <em>tote apokrithēsontai hoi dikaioi</em>)—The term <em>dikaioi</em> (righteous) doesn't indicate self-righteousness but vindication through faith. Their surprise reveals unconscious virtue; they served without calculating reward.<br><br><strong>When saw we thee an hungred?</strong> (πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα, <em>pot...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **When saw we thee an hungred?**—It is clear that this question of surprise could not be asked by any who, as believers in Christ, have come under this teaching. They know, even now, the full significance of their acts of mercy, and that knowledge is as their strongest motive. But in the lips of the heathen who stand before the judgment-seat such a question will be natural enough. They have a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. But the wise answered, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you--**The words "Not so," it will be seen, are not in the original, where the reply is very elliptical--"In case there be not enough for us and you." A truly wise answer this. "And what, then, if we shall share it with you? Why, both will be undone."
**but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves--**Here again...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When saw we thee a stranger?</strong> (πότε δέ σε εἴδομεν ξένον, <em>pote de se eidomen xenon</em>)—The continued interrogatives underscore their genuine bewilderment. The Greek structure emphasizes <em>you</em> (σε, <em>se</em>)—'When did we see <em>you</em>?'—revealing they never imagined serving Christ Himself.<br><br><strong>Or naked, and clothed thee?</strong> (ἢ γυμνὸν καὶ περιεβάλομ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**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--**They are sensible of their past folly; they have taken good advice: they are in the act of getting what alone they lacked: a very little more, and they also are ready. But the Bridegroom comes; the ready are admitted; "the door is shut," and they are undone. Ho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison?</strong> (πότε δέ σε εἴδομεν ἀσθενοῦντα ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ, <em>pote de se eidomen asthenounta ē en phylakē</em>)—The participle <em>asthenounta</em> (being sick, weak, infirm) appears throughout the Gospels for those Jesus healed. The righteous continued His healing ministry without realizing they represented Him.<br><br><strong>And came unto thee</strong>...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us--**In Mt 7:22 this reiteration of the name was an exclamation rather of surprise; here it is a piteous cry of urgency, bordering on despair. Ah! now at length their eyes are wide open, and they realize all the consequences of their past folly.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This profound statement comes from Jesus' parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46), describing final judgment. The King (Christ) explains that serving 'the least of these my brethren' (τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων/ton adelphon mou ton elachiston) equals serving Him personally. 'Inasmuch as' (ἐφ' ὅσον/eph' hoson) means 'to the extent that' or 'insofar as'—actions toward the vulnerable and...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren.**—The words are true, in different degrees of intensity, in proportion as the relationship is consciously recognised, of every member of the family of man. Of all it is true that He, the Lord, who took their flesh and blood, “is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews 2:11). We have here, in its highest and divinest...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not--**The attempt to establish a difference between "I know you not" here, and "I never knew you" in Mt 7:23--as if this were gentler, and so implied a milder fate, reserved for "the foolish" of this parable--is to be resisted, though advocated by such critics as Olshausen, Stier, and Alford. Besides being inconsistent with the gen...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The King's judgment 'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels' pronounces eternal condemnation. 'Depart from me' is the most terrifying sentence—eternal separation from God's presence. 'Ye cursed' contrasts with 'ye blessed' (v. 34)—under divine condemnation, not favor. 'Everlasting fire' describes hell's eternal, conscious torment. Significantly, hel...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **Ye cursed.**—The omission of the words “of My Father,” which might have seemed necessary to complete the parallelism with Matthew 25:34, is every way significant. He is not the author of the curse. Those who have brought themselves under the curse by their own evil deeds He no longer acknowledges as His.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh--**This, the moral or practical lesson of the whole parable, needs no comment.
Mt 25:14-30. Parable of the Talents.
**This parable, while closely resembling it, is yet a different one from that of The Pounds, in Lu 19:11-27; though Calvin, Olshausen, Meyer, and others identify them--**but not De Wette a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat</strong> (ἐπείνασα καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, <em>epeinasa kai ouk edōkate moi phagein</em>)—The identical language from v. 35 now condemns through negation. The Greek <em>ouk</em> (not) is emphatic: they actively failed to give. This isn't passive oversight but culpable neglect.<br><br><strong>I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink</strong> (ἐδίψη...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man--**The ellipsis is better supplied by our translators in the corresponding passage of Mark (Mr 13:34), "[For the Son of man is] as a man," &c.,
**travelling into a far country--**or more simply, "going abroad." The idea of long "tarrying" is certainly implied here, since it is expressed in Mt 25:19.
**who called his own servants, and delivered un...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I was a stranger, and ye took me not in</strong> (ξένος ἤμην καὶ οὐ συνηγάγετέ με, <em>xenos ēmēn kai ou synēgagete me</em>)—The verb <em>synagō</em> means to gather together, to receive into community. They excluded Christ by excluding the stranger. This condemns ethnic/tribal Christianity that draws boundaries around 'our kind.'<br><br><strong>Naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one--**While the proportion of gifts is different in each, the same fidelity is required of all, and equally rewarded. And thus there is perfect equity.
**to every man according to his several ability--**his natural capacity as enlisted in Christ's service, and his opportunities in providence for employing the gifts bestowed...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord</strong> (τότε ἀποκριθήσονται καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγοντες, Κύριε, <em>tote apokrithēsontai kai autoi legontes, Kyrie</em>)—Even the condemned call Him <em>Kyrie</em> (Lord), echoing Jesus's warning: 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 7:21). Verbal profession without obedient action proves empt...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(44) **When saw we thee . . .?**—There is, as before, an unconsciousness of the greatness of the things that had been done for good or evil. Men thought that they were only neglecting their fellow men, and were, it may be, thinking that they had wronged no man. It is significant that the sins here are, all of them, sins of omission. As in the case of the parable of the Talents, the opportunities (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same--**expressive of the activity which he put forth and the labor he bestowed.
and made them other five talents.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Verily I say unto you</strong> (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, <em>amēn legō hymin</em>)—The Hebrew <em>amen</em> emphasizes absolute truth and authority. This solemn pronouncement carries Jesus's full judicial weight as Son of Man (v. 31).<br><br><strong>Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me</strong> (ἐφ' ὅσον οὐκ ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, οὐδὲ ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. And likewise he that had received two he also gained other two--**each doubling what he received, and therefore both equally faithful.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The final verdict 'And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal' establishes two eternal destinies. 'Everlasting punishment' and 'life eternal' use the same Greek word (aiōnios—eternal), proving hell and heaven are equally eternal. This refutes annihilationism—punishment is ongoing, not mere cessation of existence. The parallelism underscores finality—no...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(46) **Everlasting punishment . . . life eternal.**—The two adjectives represent one and the same Greek word, αἰώνιος, and we ought therefore to have the same word in both clauses in the English. Of the two words, “eternal” is philologically preferable, as being traceably connected with the Greek, the Latin *ætemus* being derived from *ætas,* and that from *ævum,* which, in its turn, is but anot...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money--**not misspending, but simply making no use of it. Nay, his action seems that of one anxious that the gift should not be misused or lost, but ready to be returned, just as he got it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 31-46**
This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families,...
Read full commentary →