“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,
- KJV The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
- NKJV “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
- NASB “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son.
- NLT “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.
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 Kingdom is like a king holding a wedding feast for his son. God the King prepares a celebration centered on His Son.
Overview
The king represents God, and the son points to Christ, whose union with His people is often pictured as a wedding. The marriage feast portrays the joy and abundance of God's Kingdom. This opening image frames salvation not merely as duty but as an invitation to share in God's celebration around His Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 13:24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
- Rev 19:7–9Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
- Eph 5:24–32Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
- Ps 45:10–16Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,
- 2 Cor 11:2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- Matt 13:44–47The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
- Matt 22:2–14“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
- Luke 14:16–24But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.
- Matt 13:31–33He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field.
- John 3:29–30The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
- Matt 25:1–14“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 22:2 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.