When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?
Parallel translations
- KJV When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
- BSB When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
- NKJV When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
- NASB And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
- NLT Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
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
They ask when they welcomed him as a stranger or clothed him. Their service was sincere, not performed to impress.
Overview
The righteous continue to wonder when they ministered to the King, having simply served the needy before them. Their unawareness underscores that real love does not keep score. They did not see their kindness as spiritual achievement. The verse commends a faith that serves quietly and genuinely.
Cross-references & the web
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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 25:38 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
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