Matthew 25:40

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The King addresses the righteous at the final judgment, answering their confusion about when they last saw him in distress.

The words — ἀποκριθεὶς (apokritheis), aorist participle of "to answer," marks a single, unhesitating reply rather than a deliberation.

The thread — Proverbs 19:17 and 14:31 tie kindness to the poor directly to the LORD; Matthew 10:42 extends the same identification to disciples.

Why it lands — The verse removes any category of person so marginal that serving them does not count as serving Christ.

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 the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Cross-references

Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
Mark 9:41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Matthew 10:40 He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.