And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you?
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
- KJV And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
- BSB Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?
- NKJV And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
- NLT Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus likens his presence to a wedding when fasting is inappropriate. Joy, not mourning, fits the bridegroom's company.
Overview
Jesus calls himself the bridegroom, an image God applied to himself in the Old Testament, hinting at his divine identity. While he is present, his disciples rejoice as wedding guests, and fasting, a sign of mourning or longing, would be out of place. The picture reveals the gladness that the arrival of the Messiah brings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 3:29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.
- Eph 5:25–27Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
- Song 3:10–11He made its pillars of silver, its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, the middle of it being paved with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.
- Song 2:6–7His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.
- Zeph 3:17Yahweh, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
- Ps 45:10–16Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.
- Song 5:8I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am faint with love.
- Isa 62:5For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
- Matt 25:1–10“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
- 2 Cor 11:2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- Song 6:1Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
- Isa 54:5For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Armies is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth.
- Rev 19:7–9Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”
- Judg 14:10–11His father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men used to do so.
- Matt 22:2“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.