And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Parallel translations
- WEB and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.
- BSB ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.
- NKJV So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
- NASB and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
- NLT ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.
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
Confronted about his missing wedding garment, the man is speechless. He has no excuse for approaching the King unprepared.
Overview
The king's question gives the man opportunity to answer, yet he is silent, having no defense. His speechlessness pictures how no one can stand before God claiming a righteousness they do not possess. The verse warns that presumption upon God's grace, without true faith, leaves a person condemned and without excuse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 20:13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
- 1 Sam 2:9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
- Job 5:16So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
- Jer 2:26As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,
- Titus 3:11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
- Matt 26:50And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
- Ps 107:42The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
- Jer 2:23How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
- Acts 5:2–11And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
- Acts 8:20–23But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
- Rom 3:19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
- 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.
- Matt 5:20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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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 22:12 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.