Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Parallel translations
- WEB Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
- KJV And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
- BSB Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
- 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 the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
- 1 Cor 10:1–5Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
- Matt 13:47–48“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,
- Matt 13:19–23When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.
- Jude 1:5Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe.
- 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.
- Matt 13:38–43the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.
- Matt 24:45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
- Matt 22:10–11Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
- Matt 7:24–27“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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.