He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Parallel translations
- WEB He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
- KJV And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
- ESV And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
- NKJV And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
- NASB and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.
- NLT He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
He sets the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. The two groups are assigned places of honor and judgment.
Overview
The right hand signifies favor and blessing, the left, rejection. The separation is personal and irreversible, made by the King himself. This pictures the final destinies that await the two groups. It reminds hearers that Christ's judgment results in a real and lasting division among all people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 100:3Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- Ps 45:9The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
- John 10:26–28But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- John 21:15–17When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
- Ps 110:1A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
- Ps 79:13Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to generation we will declare Your praise.
- Gen 48:13–14And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him.
- Acts 2:34–35For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
- Heb 1:3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
- Mark 16:19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
- Ps 95:7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
- Eph 1:20which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,
- Gen 48:17–19When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 25:33 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.