Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Matthew 25:1

ὑπάντησιν, (אBC) for ἀπάντησιν, see. 6.

1. τότε. In the Last Day—the time just spoken of.

ὁμοιωθήσεται ‘shall be like,’ not, ‘shall be compared (by me).’ The condition of the Church at the End of the World shall be like the condition of the ten virgins described in the parable.

This parable is another warning for the disciples of Christ ‘to watch.’ Like the rest of the discourse it is primarily addressed to the Apostles, and after them to the pastors of the Church, who are posted as sentinels for the coming of Christ; lastly, to all Christians. Whatever interpretation may be put on the lesser incidents they must be subordinated to the lesson of the parable—vigilance, and the reason for vigilance—the certainty of the event, and the uncertainty as to the time of its occurrence.

αἵτινες. The more frequent use of ὅστις in the N.T. may be regarded as a tendency to modern idiom: for in Romaic the relative ὃς is rarely used, but ὅστις frequently occurs in the nominative, both singular and plural (Corfe’s Modern Greek Grammar, p. 67). But in most cases where ὅστις occurs in N.T. the classical usage is observed. Here αἵτινες denotes the kind or class of persons to whom the similitude relates, giving a reason for the analogy. Cp. Æsch. Prom. Matthew 25:37-38, τί τὸν θεοῖς ἔχθιστον οὐ στυγεῖς θεὸν | ὅστις τὸ σὸν θνητοῖσι προὔδωκεν γέρας; ‘one who has betrayed;’ see Paley’s note. For the distinction between ὃς and ὅστις see Winer, pp. 209, 210; and Ellicott on Galatians 4:24.

λαμπάδας. ‘Torches,’ the only meaning which the word bears in Greek literature early or late. Lat. lampas sometimes signifies a ‘lamp,’ as Juv. III. 285 ‘aenea lampas.’

εἰς ὑπάντησιν κ.τ.λ. The usual Jewish custom was for the ‘friends of the bridegroom’ to conduct the bride to her husband’s home; and when the procession arrived, the bridegroom went forth to lead the bride across the threshold (Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. ad loc., and Dr Ginsburg in Kitto’s Cycl. of Bib. Lit.). The imagery of the parable, however, implies that the bridegroom himself went to fetch his bride perhaps from a great distance, while a group of maidens await his return ready to welcome him in Oriental fashion with lamps and flambeaux.

εἰς ὑπάντησιν. εἰς denotes purpose. For ὑπάντησιν see ch. Matthew 8:28.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Matthew 25:1

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