Bible Strands
Matthew 25:2
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus tells a parable to his followers about ten virgins who take lamps to meet a bridegroom. The narrative immediately splits the group into two equal halves based on their preparedness.
The words — The Greek μωραὶ (mōrai) translates literally to "foolish," standing in direct contrast to the unlisted term for "wise." The text explicitly states that five virgins fall into this foolish category while five remain wise.
The thread — This division motif appears in Jeremiah 24:2 with two baskets of figs and in 1 Corinthians 10:1 regarding the forefathers under the cloud. Matthew 13:19 also tracks this pattern by contrasting those who hear the kingdom message with those who fail to understand it.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to identify which group they belong to among those who outwardly participate in a religious act. It demands immediate self-assessment of spiritual readiness before the bridegroom arrives.
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
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 24:2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early, but the other basket contained very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
- 1 Corinthians 10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.
- Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
- Matthew 13:47 Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
- 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
- Jude 1:5 Although you are fully aware of this, I want to remind you that after Jesus had delivered His people out of the land of Egypt, He destroyed those who did not believe.
- Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
- Matthew 24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?
- Matthew 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
- Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.