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And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Matthew 22:11 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,
  • BSB But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.
  • NKJV “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
  • NASB “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
  • NLT “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.

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

The king finds a guest without wedding clothing. This represents someone who comes to the Kingdom without true righteousness.

Overview

Among the gathered guests, one lacks the proper wedding garment, which symbolizes the righteousness God requires. Many faithful interpreters see this as the imputed righteousness of Christ or a transformed life of genuine faith, not self-made righteousness. The scene warns that outward inclusion among God's people is not enough without inward reality.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 24

  • Rev 3:4–5Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
  • Rev 19:8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
  • Heb 4:12–13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
  • Zech 3:3–4Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
  • Eph 4:24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
  • Rev 16:15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
  • Rom 13:14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
  • Col 3:10–11And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
  • Rev 3:18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
  • 2 Cor 5:3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
  • Gal 3:27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
  • 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
  • Isa 61:3–10To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
  • Rev 2:23And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
  • Isa 52:1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
  • Ps 45:13–14The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
  • Matt 25:31–32When 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:
  • Rom 3:22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
  • Matt 13:30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
  • Isa 64:6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
  • Matt 3:12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
  • 2 Kgs 10:22And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
  • Zeph 1:12And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
  • Lam 5:22But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (9)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 22:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 22:11 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.