Matthew 25:9

‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The wise bridesmaids answer the foolish bridesmaids’ request for oil before the bridegroom’s arrival. They decline to share their reserve so each group can purchase oil independently.

The words — ἀπεκρίθησαν (apekrithēsan) translates literally as “answered,” and μὴποτε (mēpote) means “otherwise” or “lest.” These terms frame a firm refusal based on practical scarcity.

The thread — The text’s refusal to transfer oil aligns with Psalms 49:7 on the impossibility of redeeming another, and Isaiah 55:6 on the urgency of seeking God while He may be found.

Why it lands — It requires immediate personal preparation rather than reliance on another’s faith or resources. The passage demands that readers secure their own standing before the window closes.

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 the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Cross-references

Psalms 49:7 No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.
Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
Ezekiel 14:20 then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. Their righteousness could deliver only themselves.
Jeremiah 15:1 Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!
Ezekiel 14:14 then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.
Acts 8:22 Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.