Matthew 25:42 kjv
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Matthew 25:42 nkjv
for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
Matthew 25:42 niv
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
Matthew 25:42 esv
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
Matthew 25:42 nlt
For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink.
Matthew 25 42 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 10:40 | "Whoever receives you receives me..." | Identifying with Christ's representatives. |
| Mt 25:35 | "For I was hungry and you gave me food..." | The righteous' opposite actions. |
| Mk 9:41 | "Whoever gives you a cup of water... will by no means lose his reward." | Small acts of kindness for Christ's sake. |
| Acts 9:4-5 | "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"... "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." | Christ identifies with suffering believers. |
| Ps 69:20-21 | "I looked for pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink." | Prophetic suffering of Messiah, including thirst/hunger. |
| Prov 21:13 | "Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered." | Judgment on those who neglect the needy. |
| Isa 58:7 | "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house...?" | Prophetic call to social justice/mercy. |
| Ezek 18:7 | "If he does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, gives bread to the hungry..." | Righteousness includes feeding the hungry. |
| Lk 3:10-11 | "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." | John the Baptist's call for practical sharing. |
| Lk 10:30-37 | Parable of the Good Samaritan | Defining "neighbor" as anyone in need, demanding active mercy. |
| Lk 16:19-31 | Rich man and Lazarus | Parable illustrating the consequences of neglecting the poor. |
| Jn 13:34-35 | "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another..." | Love for one another as a mark of discipleship. |
| Jas 1:27 | "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." | Practical care for the vulnerable as true religion. |
| Jas 2:14-17 | "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?... If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" | Faith without works is dead, emphasizing active charity. |
| 1 Jn 3:17-18 | "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." | Love must be demonstrated by practical help. |
| Rom 13:8-10 | "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." | Love for neighbor fulfills the Law. |
| Gal 5:13 | "Through love serve one another." | Call to practical service in Christian liberty. |
| Heb 13:2 | "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." | Hospitality, a spiritual discipline. |
| Mic 6:8 | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | God's core requirements: justice and mercy. |
| Mt 7:21-23 | "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom... but the one who does the will of my Father." | Doing God's will includes active love. |
| Rom 2:6 | "He will render to each one according to his works." | God's righteous judgment based on deeds. |
| 2 Cor 5:10 | "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." | All will be judged for their actions. |
| Dt 15:7-8 | "If among you, one of your brothers should become poor... you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand... you shall open your hand..." | Law's command to care for the poor. |
Matthew 25 verses
Matthew 25 42 Meaning
Matthew 25:42 succinctly declares the reason for condemnation: the failure to provide basic necessities—food and drink—to Christ, who identifies Himself with those in need. This verse encapsulates the sin of omission, where judgment is based not on evil deeds committed, but on the absence of acts of love and compassion towards the suffering. It profoundly reveals that tangible acts of mercy are fundamental to true discipleship and are viewed by Jesus as actions done directly to Him.
Matthew 25 42 Context
Matthew 25:42 is part of Jesus' teaching on the Last Judgment, delivered as part of the Olivet Discourse (Mt 24-25), given shortly before His crucifixion. This specific passage (Mt 25:31-46) is often called the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, although it functions more as a vivid prophetic description of the final judgment of all nations. Jesus portrays Himself as the divine Judge, separating humanity into two groups based on their actions, particularly their treatment of "the least of these brothers of mine." Verses 35-36 enumerate the acts of mercy performed by the "sheep" (the righteous), while verse 42 explicitly details the corresponding failure of the "goats" (the condemned). The cultural context emphasizes the paramount importance of hospitality and care for the vulnerable in ancient Jewish society, viewing such acts as core religious duties. The parable implicitly challenges any self-righteousness that prioritizes ritual over active love and service to those truly in need, identifying Christ's suffering and humble presence directly with the suffering and humble among humanity.
Matthew 25 42 Word analysis
- For (γὰρ - gar): This Greek conjunction indicates a reason or explanation. It signals that what follows explains why the judgment is being rendered. The condemnation is not arbitrary but directly linked to their previous inaction.
- I was hungry (ἐπείνασα - epeinasa): The verb is in the aorist tense, pointing to a specific, past state of being hungry. This emphasizes that it was a concrete condition, a direct need, not an abstract concept. It's the Son of Man identifying directly with the physical deprivation of others.
- and you gave me no food (καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν - kai ouk edōkate moi phagein):
- gave me no: The emphatic negative ouk preceding the verb edōkate (you gave) highlights the absolute absence of action. It signifies an outright failure, an omission.
- food (φαγεῖν - phagein): The infinitive form used substantively. It points to basic, essential nourishment, without which life itself is threatened. The omission here is severe.
- I was thirsty (ἐδίψησα - edipsēsa): Parallel to "I was hungry," this too is in the aorist tense, denoting a specific, dire past need for hydration. It reinforces the fundamental nature of the neglect.
- and you gave me no drink (καὶ οὐκ ἐποτίσατέ με - kai ouk epotisate me):
- gave me no drink: Another clear omission, using the verb epotisate (you gave drink). It mirrors the previous clause, emphasizing the symmetry of their neglect. Like food, water is absolutely essential for survival and well-being.
- Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink": This pairing directly contrasts Christ's basic need with the lack of practical response from those being judged. The repetitive structure powerfully highlights the sustained and consistent nature of their neglect. It underscores that these were not isolated instances, but characteristic failures. The omission of these most fundamental acts of compassion implies a deeper absence of love or genuine faith within the condemned. This parallel structure is a literary device often used by Jesus to drive home a central point through repetition.
Matthew 25 42 Bonus section
This verse, within the larger parable, reveals a profound identification between Christ and suffering humanity. It does not just mean "caring for the poor is like caring for Jesus," but rather, "caring for the poor is caring for Jesus." The condemned here are often depicted as those who believed themselves righteous but were oblivious to the true practical demands of their faith, illustrating the principle that genuine spiritual transformation yields visible, compassionate action. Their surprise ("When did we see you hungry...?") highlights their spiritual blindness and the crucial reality that service to the downtrodden is indistinguishable from service to the Lord. This parable, thus, directly confronts any self-deceit that compartmentalizes religious devotion from practical care for human need.
Matthew 25 42 Commentary
Matthew 25:42 serves as a sobering indictment of a faith that remains abstract, lacking tangible expression in deeds of mercy. The "goats" are condemned not for active malice or specific sins of commission, but for a devastating failure to act—a sin of omission. Christ identifies so completely with the "least of these" that to ignore their hunger and thirst is to ignore His own suffering. This passage stresses that true spiritual vitality is visibly manifested in active love and practical compassion towards others, particularly the vulnerable. It's a reminder that genuine love for God necessarily translates into concrete love for our neighbor, with Jesus Himself being the measure and recipient of that love.