Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 25:7
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
7. trimmed their lamps ] By addition of oil, and by clearing the fibres with a needle.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Trimmed their lamps – Burning until midnight, the oil was exhausted: they gave a dim and obscure light. They trimmed them by removing the burnt parts of the linen or the torch, so that they would burn clear. It was needful, also, to dip them again in oil, or to pour oil upon them. This strikingly represents the conduct of most people at the approach of death. They then begin to make ready. They are alarmed, anxious, and trembling, and then they ask the aid of others, but often when it is forever too late.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Trimmed their lamps.] , adorned them. I have seen some of the eastern lamps or lanthorns, the body of which was a skeleton of wood and threads, covered with a very thin transparent membrane, or very fine gauze, and decorated with flowers painted on it. It is probable that the nuptial 1amps were highly decorated in this way; though the act mentioned here may mean no more than preparing the lamps for burning.
The following account of the celebration of a wedding in Persia, taken from the Zend Avesta, vol. ii. p. 558, c., may cast some light on this place.
“The day appointed for the marriage, about five o’clock in the evening, the bridegroom comes to the house of the bride, where the mobed, or priest, pronounces for the first time the nuptial benediction. He then brings her to his own house, gives her some refreshment, and afterwards the assembly of her relatives and friends reconduct her to her father’s house. When she arrives, the mobed repeats the nuptial benediction, which is generally done about MIDNIGHT immediately after, the bride, accompanied with a part of her attending troop, (the rest having returned to their own homes,) is reconducted to the house of her husband, where she generally arrives about three o’clock in the morning. Nothing can be more brilliant than these nuptial solemnities in India. Sometimes the assembly consists of not less than two thousand persons, all richly dressed in gold and silver tissue; the friends and relatives of the bride, encompassed with their domestics, are all mounted on horses richly harnessed. The goods, wardrobe, and even the bed of the bride, are carried in triumph. The husband, richly mounted and magnificently dressed, is accompanied by his friends and relatives, the friends of the bride following him in covered carriages. At intervals, during the procession, guns and rockets are fired, and the spectacle is rendered grand beyond description, by a prodigious number of LIGHTED TORCHES, and by the SOUND of a multitude of musical instruments.”
There are certain preparations which most persons believe they must make at the approach of death; but, alas! it is often too late. The lamp is defiled, the light almost out, and the oil expended; and what adorning is a wretched sinner, struggling in the agonies of death, capable of preparing for his guilty soul!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
7. Then all those virgins arose, andtrimmed their lampsthe foolish virgins as well as the wise.How very long do both parties seem the samealmost to the moment ofdecision! Looking at the mere form of the parable, it is evident thatthe folly of “the foolish” consisted not in having no oilat all; for they must have had oil enough in their lamps to keep themburning up to this moment: their folly consisted in not makingprovision against its exhaustion, by taking with their lamp anoil-vessel wherewith to replenish their lamp from time totime, and so have it burning until the Bridegroom should come. Arewe, thenwith some even superior expositorsto conclude that thefoolish virgins must represent true Christians as well as do thewise, since only true Christians have the Spirit, and that thedifference between the two classes consists only in the one havingthe necessary watchfulness which the other wants? Certainly not.Since the parable was designed to hold forth the prepared and theunprepared to meet Christ at His coming, and how the unpreparedmight, up to the very last, be confounded with the preparedthestructure of the parable behooved to accommodate itself to this, bymaking the lamps of the foolish to burn, as well as those of thewise, up to a certain point of time, and only then to discover theirinability to burn on for want of a fresh supply of oil. But this isevidently just a structural device; and the real differencebetween the two classes who profess to love the Lord’s appearing is aradical onethe possession by the one class of anenduring principle of spiritual life, and the want of it by theother.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then all these virgins arose,…. Not out of their graves; for the righteous and wicked will not rise together; the dead in Christ will rise first, and this first resurrection will not be till Christ is come; nor will grace be to be had, or be thought to be had after the resurrection; nor will there be any trimming of lamps then, in order to meet the bridegroom, for he will be come: nor out of the graves of sin; for the wise virgins were not in such a state, and the foolish virgins were never brought out of it: but the meaning is, that they arose out of their sleepy and slumbering frame. True believers may fall into a very low condition, with respect to the exercise of grace, and discharge of duty; but they shall arise again, for they are held and upheld by the right hand of God: it is sometimes midnight with them, and they are fallen fast asleep, but they shall be awaked, and arise; which arising here, as it respects them, signifies, that they were thoroughly awaked, that they quitted their former place and posture, were upon their feet, and ready to meet the bridegroom. The foolish virgins also arose; which may intend some awakenings of conscience, and reformation of life, and a more diligent attendance on duties and ordinances; all which they did to make them meet for Christ, and to obtain salvation; but after all it appears, they were destitute of the oil of grace:
and trimmed their lamps: both wise and foolish: the former by removing what hindered the clear burning of them; by casting off the works of darkness, and causing the light of good works to shine before men, in the discharge of them, from a principle of grace; and chiefly by applying to Christ for fresh supplies of the oil of grace, to fill their lamps, revive their light and heat, and keep them burning: and the latter, only by a few outward decorations, and external performances; to make their outward profession of religion look as bright as possibly they could.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Trimmed (). Put in order, made ready. The wicks were trimmed, the lights being out while they slept, fresh oil put in the dish, and lit again. A marriage ceremony in India is described by Ward (View of the Hindoos) in Trench’s Parables: “After waiting two or three hours, at length near midnight it was announced, as in the very words of Scripture, ‘Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.'”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Then all those virgins arose [ ] . The Greek order is expressive. Then arose all the virgins, those former ones. Those [] a pronoun of remoter reference, and emphatic by its position at the end of the sentence.
Trimmed [] . From kosmov, order, and meaning to put in order or arrange. Tynd., prepared. Trench (” Parables “) quotes from Ward (” View of the Hindoos “), describing a marriage ceremony in India :
“After waiting two or three hours, at length near midnight it was announced, was in the very words of Scripture, ‘Behold the bridegroom cometh; go yet out to meet him. ‘ All the person employed now lighted their lamps, and ran with them in their hands to fill up their stations in the procession. Some of them had lost their lights, and were unprepared, but it was then too late to seek them, and the cavalcade moved forward.”
Their lamps [] . Lit., “their own lamps;” emphasizing the personal preparation in contrast with the foolish, who depended for supply on their fellows.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
7. Virgins arose The generations of the dead wake at the resurrection. Trimmed their lamps For now the time hath come for them to shine in eternal glory.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their torches.’
And as a result all arose and ‘trimmed their torches’. They did all that was necessary in order for them to shine out. This was when readiness was vital. If they were not properly prepared their torches would not shine out, because something would be missing. And that was when the foolish recognised that they had no further supplies of oil. We should recognise here that they had failed the Bridegroom. They were to be an essential part of the procession, and then of the dancing. But because of their foolishness they were of no use for the task. The vital element was missing, well lit torches. They could not play their part in the celebration, and all because of their own folly.
Strictly the picture is of those who would expect to be ready to meet the Bridegroom. If we take it in that way it represents those who had some knowledge of the Bridegroom and wanted to welcome Him, and yet had failed to make the necessary preparations. Outwardly they professed to be His friends. But underneath they were not. But we cannot just tie it down to those who profess to be Christians. For in the nature of the Bridegroom ALL should be ready to meet Him. Thus in the end the folly is of all who are not ready for His coming. As in all parables, each can apply it to their own case.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 25:7 f. ] they put in proper order , namely, by trimming the wick and such like, they dressed them.
(see critical remarks): each one her own; betokening the individual preparation that was now going on.
] are just on the point of going out .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Ver. 7. And trimmed their lamps ] The foolish also made a fair flourish, and held themselves, haply, in case good enough for heaven; deceiving their own hearts, or rather deceived by them, while they use fallacious and specious sophisms, Jas 1:26 , to make themselves believe their penny to be good silver, when as it is nothing better than a slip.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 25:7 . , trimmed, or proceeded to trim, for which the imperfect would have been more suitable. In the case of the five foolish it was an action attempted rather than performed, begun rather than completed.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
those = those former ones.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 25:7. , were aroused) sc. from sleep.-, all) Then will the evil and the careless also[1082] awake. All things will be awakened. By how very little the foolish missed of entering in, and yet they are shut out.[1083]
[1082] Sc. As well as the good and the prudent.-(I. B.)
[1083] In the original, et tamen excidunt, corresponding with the durchfallen above.-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Luk 12:35, 2Pe 3:14, Rev 2:4, Rev 2:5, Rev 3:2, Rev 3:19, Rev 3:20
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
25:7
Trimmed is from KOSMEO which Thayer defines, “To put in order, arrange, make ready, prepare.”
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 25:7. Arose, and trimmed their lamps, i.e., trimmed the wick and put on fresh oil, so as to make a brilliant flame. All did this; the foolish virgins were not lacking in effort. But mere trimming does little good, if there is no oil.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The virgins’ arising and trimming their lamps, doth denote, their actual preparation for Christ’s coming and appearance, and their putting themselves into a posture of readiness to receive him.
Thence learn, That a believing apprehension of the certainty and suddenness of our Lord’s coming and approach will rouse us out of our spiritual slumber, and prepare us to meet him with joy and assurance. Then they arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.
Observe here, 1. A request made, Give us of your oil. There is a time when the neglecters of grace will be made sensible of the worth of grace by the want of it. Such as now undervalue, yea, vilify the grace of God, will be heard to say, O give us of your oil.
Observe, 2. The reason of the request, For our lamps are gone out.
Thence learn, That the lamp of profession will certainly go out, which has not a stock of grace to feed and maintain it.