The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
Parallel translations
- WEB The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
- KJV And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
- ESV And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
- NKJV And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
- NASB But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
- NLT Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
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
The foolish beg oil from the wise because their lamps are going out. Borrowed readiness fails at the decisive moment.
Overview
The foolish discover too late that they lack what they need and cannot produce it themselves. Their request reveals that true spiritual readiness cannot be transferred from another at the final hour. Each person must be personally prepared to meet Christ. The verse exposes the emptiness of a faith that has no inward reality.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Prov 13:9The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
- Luke 12:35Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.
- Heb 4:1Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.
- Rev 3:9Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
- Matt 13:20–21The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
- Prov 20:20Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
- Prov 4:18–19The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Job 21:17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
- Luke 8:18Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
- Luke 16:24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
- Job 8:13–14Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish.
- Job 18:5Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
- Matt 3:9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
- Acts 8:24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
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 25:8 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.