Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Matthew 25:3

The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bridegroom;   Fool;   Hypocrisy;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Judgment;   Kingdom of Heaven;   Marriage;   Oil;   Opportunity;   Procrastination;   Resurrection;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Unfaithfulness;   Virgin;   Wisdom;   Women;   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Oil;   Olive Oil;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   The Topic Concordance - Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ;   Kingdom of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Emblems of the Holy Spirit, the;   Fools;   Lamps;   Marriage;   Oil;   Parables;   Prudence;   Woman;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Lamp;   Marriage;   Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lamp;   Marriage;   Oil;   Sleep;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fool, Foolishness, Folly;   Watchfulness;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Annihilation;   Holiness of God;   Joy;   Judgment, Last;   Meditation;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bride;   Oil;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Oil;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fool, Foolishness, and Folly;   Fuel;   Kingdom of God;   Oil;   Second Coming, the;   Torch;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Messiah;   Olives, Mount of;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Claims (of Christ);   Doctrines;   Eternal Punishment;   Fool (2);   Foolishness;   Imagination;   Lazarus;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Oil ;   Paradox;   Parousia (2);   Selfishness;   Sleep;   Spiritualizing of the Parables;   Torch;   Unity (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bridegroom;   Lamp;   Matthew, Gospel by;   Oil;   29 Light Lamp Candle;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Oil;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Oil;   Olive Tree;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Folly and Fool;   ḥuppah;   Marriage;   New Testament;   Parable;   Phylacteries;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for October 16;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them;
King James Version (1611)
They that were foolish tooke their lampes, and tooke no oyle with them:
King James Version
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
English Standard Version
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
New American Standard Bible
"For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them;
Amplified Bible
"For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
Legacy Standard Bible
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
Berean Standard Bible
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.
Contemporary English Version
The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil.
Complete Jewish Bible
The foolish ones took lamps with them but no oil,
Darby Translation
They that were foolish took their torches and did not take oil with them;
Easy-to-Read Version
The foolish girls took their lamps with them, but they did not take extra oil for the lamps.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The foolish tooke their lampes, but tooke none oyle with them.
George Lamsa Translation
And the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them.
Good News Translation
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them,
Lexham English Bible
For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them.
Literal Translation
Those being foolish, taking their lamps, did not take oil with them.
American Standard Version
For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them:
Bible in Basic English
For the foolish, when they took their lights, took no oil with them.
Hebrew Names Version
Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,
International Standard Version
For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they didn't take any oil with them.
Etheridge Translation
And those foolish (ones) took their lamps, but did not take with them the oil:
Murdock Translation
And the foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They that were foolyshe, toke their lampes, but toke none oyle with them:
English Revised Version
For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them:
World English Bible
Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They that were foolish, taking their lamps, took not oil with them.
Weymouth's New Testament
For the foolish, when they took their torches, did not provide themselves with oil;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But the fyue foolis token her laumpis, and token not oile with hem;
Update Bible Version
For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them:
Webster's Bible Translation
They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
New English Translation
When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra olive oil with them.
New King James Version
Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
New Living Translation
The five who were foolish didn't take enough olive oil for their lamps,
New Life Bible
The foolish women took their lamps but did not take oil with them.
New Revised Standard
When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, the foolish - though they took, their torches, took not with them, oil:
Douay-Rheims Bible
But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them.
Revised Standard Version
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The folysshe toke their lampes but toke none oyle wt the.
Young's Literal Translation
they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oil;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The foolish toke their lapes, neuertheles they toke none oyle with them.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Simplified Cowboy Version
The dumb ones took their lanterns, but didn't take any extra oil.

Contextual Overview

1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn. 4 The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars. 5 Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep. 6 "At midnight someone cried out, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!' 7 Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8 But the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.' 9 The wise bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

foolish: Matthew 23:25, Matthew 23:26, Isaiah 48:1, Isaiah 48:2, Isaiah 58:2, Ezekiel 33:3, 2 Timothy 3:5, Hebrews 12:15, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 3:15, Revelation 3:16

Reciprocal: Proverbs 20:4 - therefore Proverbs 21:20 - oil Proverbs 31:18 - her candle Matthew 22:34 - they

Cross-References

2 Samuel 2:9
and made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.
1 Kings 10:1
When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to test him with hard questions.
Job 6:19
The groups of travelers from Tema look for water, and the traders of Sheba look hopefully.
Psalms 72:10
Let the kings of Tarshish and the faraway lands bring him gifts. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba bring their presents to him.
Jeremiah 25:23
the people of Dedan and Tema and Buz; all who cut their hair short;
Jeremiah 49:8
You people living in the town of Dedan, run away and hide in deep caves, because I will bring disaster on the people of Esau. It is time for me to punish them.
Ezekiel 25:13
So this is what the Lord God says: I will use my power against Edom, killing every human and animal in it. And I will destroy Edom all the way from Teman to Dedan as they die in battle.
Ezekiel 27:6
They made your oars from oak trees from Bashan. They made your deck from cypress trees from the coast of Cyprus and set ivory into it.
Ezekiel 27:20
"‘People of Dedan became merchants for you, trading saddle blankets for riding.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They that were foolish took their lamps,.... The Vulgate Latin, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel, read, "the five foolish", whose folly is here exposed; and which lay not merely, or only in taking up the lamps of a profession in a wrong way, and upon a wrong bottom, but chiefly in what follows;

and took no oil with them: by oil is meant, not temporal blessings, nor spiritual ones, nor the Gospel, nor the gifts of the Spirit, all which are sometimes signified by oil; but either the Spirit of God himself, who is the oil of gladness, and the anointing which teacheth all things; or the regenerating and sanctifying grace of the Spirit, even all the graces which are implanted by him in conversion: this is so called, in allusion to the anointing oil under the law, in its excellent nature, its costly matter, its curious make, and particular application; and in the use of it to anoint both things, the tabernacle and its vessels, and persons, prophets, priests, and kings; see Exodus 30:23, c. The grace of the Spirit being of an holy and sanctifying nature, exceeding valuable and precious, and a curious piece of workmanship, and what is only applied unto, and bestowed on the elect of God and with which all the vessels of mercy, small and great, are anointed, and are made prophets, priests, and kings, and is what is, as that was, lasting and abiding: or else with respect to the precious oil, or ointment poured on Aaron's head, which was emblematical of the grace of the Spirit, which was poured forth, without measure, on Christ, and from him descends to all his members: or to the lamp oil for the candlestick in the tabernacle, which was oil olive, pure, beaten, and was for light, to cause the lamp to burn always; and fitly represented grace, which comes from Christ, the true olive tree; is pure, and of a purifying nature; and comes through a bruised, crucified Christ; and being put into the heart, causes the light of good works, and a becoming conversation, to shine forth: or else to oil in common, which is of a cheering and refreshing nature; is beautifying and adorning, supplying and healing, feeding and fattening, searching and penetrating, and will not mix with any thing else; upon all which accounts grace may be compared to it. Now these foolish virgins, though they took up a lamp of a profession, yet were unconcerned for the oil of grace, to fill, maintain, and trim this lamp: they were ignorant of the nature and use of true grace; they saw no need of it, and therefore did not ask for it, or about it; they neglected it, made light of it, and denied it as useless; and being destitute of it, took up their profession without it; and in this lay their folly.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And five of them were wise - . The words “wise and foolish,” here, refer only to their conduct; in regard to the oil. The one part was “wise” in taking oil, the other “foolish” in neglecting it. The conduct of those who were “wise” refers to those who are “prepared” for the coming of Christ - prepared by possessing real piety, and not being merely his professed followers. The conduct of those “without” oil expresses the conduct of those who profess to love him, but are destitute of true grace, and are therefore unprepared to meet him. Nothing can be argued from the number here in regard to the proportion of sincere Christians among professors. circumstances in parables are not to be pressed literally. They are necessary to keep up the story, and we must look chiefly or entirely to the scope or design of the parable to understand its meaning. In this parable the scope is to teach us to “watch” or be ready, Matthew 25:13. It is not to teach us the relative “number” of those who shall be saved and who shall not. In teaching us to “watch and to be ready,” our Lord gives great additional interest by the circumstances of this narrative; but there is no authority for saying that he meant to teach that just half of professing Christians would be deceived. The moral certainty is that “nothing like” that number will be found to have been hypocrites.

Oil in their vessels - The five foolish virgins probably expected that the bridegroom would come immediately; they therefore made no provision for any delay. The wise virgins knew that the time of his coming was uncertain, and they therefore furnished themselves with oil. This was carried in “vessels,” so that it could be poured on the torches when it was necessary.

Vessels - Cups, cans, or anything to hold oil.


 
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