Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Matthew 22:14

"For many are called, but few are chosen."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Chosen, or Elected;   Covetousness;   Feasts;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Kingdom of Heaven;   Predestination;   Righteous;   Righteousness;   Salvation;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Few Saved;   Saved, the;   The Topic Concordance - Calling;   Choosing/chosen;   Kingdom of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Call;   Election;   Parables;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christ, Christology;   Church, the;   Elect, Election;   Lord's Supper, the;   Mission;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Call, Calling;   Hutchinsonians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Call;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Scribes;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Election;   Hour;   People of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of God;   Marriage;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Call, Called, Calling;   Call, Calling;   Choice;   Circumstantiality in the Parables;   Doctrines;   Dropsy;   Elect, Election ;   Individuality;   Invitation;   Lazarus;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Marriage;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   New Testament;   Punishment (2);   Service;   Wealth (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Calling;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Marriage;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Calling;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Choose;   Christ, Offices of;   Literature, Sub-Apostolic;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Marriage;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
King James Version (1611)
For many are called, but few are chosen.
King James Version
For many are called, but few are chosen.
English Standard Version
For many are called, but few are chosen."
New American Standard Bible
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Century Version
"Yes, many are invited, but only a few are chosen."
Amplified Bible
"For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
Legacy Standard Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Berean Standard Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Contemporary English Version
Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.
Complete Jewish Bible
for many are invited, but few are chosen."
Darby Translation
For many are called ones, but few chosen ones.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Yes, many people are invited. But only a few are chosen."
Geneva Bible (1587)
For many are called, but fewe chosen.
George Lamsa Translation
For many are invited, and few are chosen.
Good News Translation
And Jesus concluded, "Many are invited, but few are chosen."
Lexham English Bible
For many are called but few are chosen."
Literal Translation
For many are called, but few chosen.
American Standard Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
Bible in Basic English
For out of all to whom the good news has come, only a small number will get salvation.
Hebrew Names Version
For many are called, but few chosen."
International Standard Version
For many are invited, but few are chosen."Matthew 20:16;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For many are the called, but few the chosen.
Murdock Translation
For the called are many, and the chosen are few.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For many be called, but fewe are chosen.
English Revised Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
World English Bible
For many are called, but few chosen."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For many are called, but few chosen.
Weymouth's New Testament
"For there are many called, but few chosen."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For many ben clepid, but fewe ben chosun.
Update Bible Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
Webster's Bible Translation
For many are called, but few [are] chosen.
New English Translation
For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Living Translation
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Life Bible
For many are called but few are chosen."
New Revised Standard
For many are called, but few are chosen."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, many, are called, but, few, chosen.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Revised Standard Version
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For many are called and feawe be chosen.
Young's Literal Translation
for many are called, and few chosen.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For many be called, but few are chose.
Mace New Testament (1729)
thus many are called, but few are converted.
THE MESSAGE
"That's what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.'"
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Many will be invited, but only a few will come."

Contextual Overview

1 Luke 14:15-24">[xr] And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14, Matthew 20:16, Luke 13:23, Luke 13:24

Reciprocal: Esther 2:4 - let the maiden

Cross-References

Genesis 22:4
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
Genesis 22:5
And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad [fn] and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
Genesis 22:10
And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Genesis 22:14
And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; [fn] as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided."
Genesis 22:17
blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
Genesis 28:19
And he called the name of that place Bethel; [fn] but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Genesis 32:30
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: [fn] "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Exodus 17:15
And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; [fn]

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For many are called, but few chosen. See Gill "Mt 20:16"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Many are called, but few are chosen - Our Saviour often uses this expression. It was probably proverbial. The Jews had been called, but few of them had been chosen to life. The great mass of the nation was wicked, and they showed by their lives that they were not chosen to salvation. The Gentiles also were invited to be saved, Isaiah 45:22. Nation after nation has been called; but few, few have yet showed that they were real Christians, the elect of God. It is also true that many who are in the church may prove to be without the wedding garment, and show at last that they were not the chosen of God. This remark in the 14th verse is the inference from the “whole parable,” and not of the part about the man without the wedding garment. It does not mean, therefore, that the great mass in the church are simply called and not chosen, or are hypocrites; but the great mass in “the human family,” in the time of Christ, who had been “called,” had rejected the mercy of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 22:14. Many are called, c.] This verse is wanting in one of Colbert's MSS., marked 33 in Griesbach. See the note on Matthew 20:16. Many are called by the preaching of the Gospel into the outward communion of the Church of Christ but few, comparatively, are chosen to dwell with God In glory, because they do not come to the master of the feast for a marriage garment-for that holiness without which none can see the Lord. This is an allusion to the Roman custom of raising their militia; all were mustered, but only those were chosen to serve, who were found proper. See the note on Matthew 20:16. Reader! examine thy soul, and make sure work for eternity!


 
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