Bible Strands
Matthew 22:5
But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the invited guests' response to the king's second summons delivered by his servants. They act at the precise moment the banquet is fully prepared and the invitation is repeated.
The words — The Greek ἀμελὴσαντες (amelēsantes) literally means "having paid no attention" or "having neglected." This participle modifies the main verb ἀπῆλθον (apēlthon), "they went away," describing a deliberate refusal to engage before departing.
The thread — This sequence of ignoring a prepared invitation runs to Luke 14:18, where guests cite a purchased field, and to Hebrews 2:3, which questions how one will escape neglecting the salvation first announced by the Lord. It parallels the warning in 1 John 2:15 against loving the world.
Why it lands — The text states that the guests turned to their own affairs instead of attending the ready banquet. It requires a reader to recognize that deliberate neglect of a direct summons precedes judgment, as the following verse records the seizure and killing of the messengers.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Cross-references
- Luke 14:18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’
- Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Genesis 19:14 So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
- Genesis 25:34 Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
- Psalms 106:24 They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise.
- Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
- Proverbs 1:24 Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,
- Matthew 13:22 The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- Matthew 24:38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.