Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Parallel translations
- WEB Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
- KJV And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
- NKJV Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
- NASB Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.
- NLT Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
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
Five of the virgins were foolish and five were wise. Jesus distinguishes between true and false readiness.
Overview
The division into wise and foolish sets up the parable's central lesson about genuine preparedness. Outwardly all ten look alike, awaiting the same bridegroom. The difference will prove to be inward and decisive. Jesus warns that profession alone does not make one ready for his coming.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jer 24:2One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early, but the other basket contained very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
- 1 Cor 10:1–5I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.
- Matt 13:47–48Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
- Matt 13:19–23When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
- Jude 1:5Although you are fully aware of this, I want to remind you that after Jesus had delivered His people out of the land of Egypt, He destroyed those who did not believe.
- 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
- Matt 13:38–43The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
- Matt 24:45Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?
- Matt 22:10–11So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
- Matt 7:24–27Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
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 25:2 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.