Matthew 25:2
New International Version
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

New Living Translation
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

English Standard Version
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Berean Standard Bible
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Berean Literal Bible
And five of them were foolish, and five wise.

King James Bible
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

New King James Version
Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

New American Standard Bible
Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

NASB 1995
“Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

NASB 1977
“And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

Amplified Bible
Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible].

Christian Standard Bible
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Five of them were foolish and five were sensible.

American Standard Version
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Contemporary English Version
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

English Revised Version
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Good News Translation
Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise.

International Standard Version
Now five of them were foolish, and five were wise,

Majority Standard Bible
Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

NET Bible
Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise.

New Heart English Bible
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Webster's Bible Translation
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Weymouth New Testament
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

World English Bible
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and five of them were prudent, and five foolish;

Berean Literal Bible
And five of them were foolish, and five wise.

Young's Literal Translation
and five of them were prudent, and five foolish;

Smith's Literal Translation
And five of them were discerning, and five foolish.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And five of them were foolish, and five wise.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

New American Bible
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

New Revised Standard Version
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But five of them were wise and five were foolish.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Godbey New Testament
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Haweis New Testament
But five of them were provident, and five foolish.

Mace New Testament
five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Weymouth New Testament
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

Worrell New Testament
And five of them were foolish, and five wise;

Worsley New Testament
and five were foolish.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.…

Cross References
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Matthew 13:47-50
Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. / When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. / So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ...

Matthew 22:1-14
Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: / “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. / He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. ...

Matthew 24:45-51
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? / Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. / Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ...

Luke 12:35-40
Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. / Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. / Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. ...

Luke 13:25-30
After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ / Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ / And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ ...

Luke 14:34-35
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned? / It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 19:11-27
While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently. / So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. / Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said. ...

John 15:1-6
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. / You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ...

Romans 11:17-24
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ...

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, / his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. / If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ...

2 Corinthians 11:2-3
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. / I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-17
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, / redeeming the time, because the days are evil. / Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. / For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8
So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. / For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. / But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.


Treasury of Scripture

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: …

Matthew 13:19-23,38-43,47,48
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side…

Matthew 22:10,11
So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests…

Jump to Previous
Five Foolish Prudent Wise
Jump to Next
Five Foolish Prudent Wise
Matthew 25
1. The parable of the ten virgins,
14. and of the talents.
31. Also the description of the last judgment.














Five of them
This phrase introduces the division among the ten virgins, symbolizing the entire group of believers awaiting the return of Christ. The number "five" in biblical numerology often represents grace or God's goodness. Here, it sets the stage for a comparison between two distinct groups within the community of faith. The use of "five" for each group suggests a balance, indicating that within the visible church, there is a mixture of preparedness and negligence.

were foolish
The Greek word for "foolish" is "μωρός" (moros), which implies a lack of wisdom or discernment. In the biblical context, foolishness is often associated with a failure to heed God's instructions or to live in accordance with His will. The foolish virgins represent those who, despite being part of the community of believers, fail to prepare adequately for the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. This serves as a warning to believers to remain vigilant and spiritually prepared.

and five were wise
The Greek word for "wise" is "φρόνιμος" (phronimos), which denotes prudence, insight, and practical wisdom. The wise virgins are those who not only hear the Word of God but also act upon it, demonstrating their readiness for Christ's return. This wisdom is not merely intellectual but is deeply spiritual, reflecting a heart aligned with God's purposes. The wise virgins' preparedness highlights the importance of living a life of faith and obedience, characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a commitment to God's kingdom.

(2) Five of them were wise.--The word is the same as in Matthew 24:45, where see Note.

Verse 2. - Five of them were wise (φρόνιμοι, Matthew 24:45), and five were foolish. The best uncials (א, B, C, D, L) invert the clauses, in agreement with the order in vers. 3, 4. So the Vulgate. In this case the idea would be that the foolish were a more prominent and noticeable class than the others. All the virgins were outwardly the same, were provided with the same lamps, prepared to perform the same office; the difference in their characters is proved by the result. Their folly is seen in the fact that at the time of action they were unable to do the part which a little care and forethought would have enabled them to perform successfully.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Five
πέντε (pente)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4002: Five. A primary number; 'five'.

of
ἐξ (ex)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

them
αὐτῶν (autōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

were
ἦσαν (ēsan)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

foolish,
μωραὶ (mōrai)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3474: Probably from the base of musterion; dull or stupid, i.e. Heedless, blockhead, absurd.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

five [were]
πέντε (pente)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4002: Five. A primary number; 'five'.

wise.
φρόνιμοι (phronimoi)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5429: Intelligent, prudent, sensible, wise. From phren; thoughtful, i.e. Sagacious or discreet; in a bad sense conceited.


Links
Matthew 25:2 NIV
Matthew 25:2 NLT
Matthew 25:2 ESV
Matthew 25:2 NASB
Matthew 25:2 KJV

Matthew 25:2 BibleApps.com
Matthew 25:2 Biblia Paralela
Matthew 25:2 Chinese Bible
Matthew 25:2 French Bible
Matthew 25:2 Catholic Bible

NT Gospels: Matthew 25:2 Five of them were foolish and five (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 25:1
Top of Page
Top of Page