Matthew 25:42
in Matthew 25For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
KJV
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
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This verse in Matthew 25
Commentary
10 notes on this verseIt follows, I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat. It is written to the believers, Ye are the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27.) As then the soul dwelling in the body, though it hungers not in respect of its spiritual substance, yet hungers for the food of the body, because it is yoked to the body; so the Saviour suffers whatever His body the Church suffers, though He Himself be impassible.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
And things here are like this; but let us speak also of the day to come. For though they give not heed, yet it is necessary for us to speak. In the day to come then, one will see everywhere such men as these undergoing punishment. For when He saith, "I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;" He is punishing these; and when He saith, "Depart into the eternal fire prepared for the devil," He is sending thither them that make a bad use of riches. And the wicked servant, who gives not to his fellow-servants the goods of his Lord, is of the number of these men, and he that buried his talent, and the five virgins.
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat." For though He that came to thee had been thine enemy, were not His sufferings enough to have overcome and subdued even the merciless? hunger, and cold, and bonds, and nakedness, and sickness, and to wander everywhere houseless? These things are sufficient even to destroy enmity. But ye did not these things even to a friend, being at once friend, and benefactor, and Lord. Though it be a dog we see hungry, often we are overcome; and though we behold a wild beast, we are subdued; but seeing the Lord, art thou not subdued? And wherein are these things worthy of defense? But mark them, how they are destitute not of one or two things only, but of all. For not only did they fail to feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; but not even did they visit the sick, which was an easier thing. And mark how easy are His injunctions. He said not, "I was in prison, and ye set me free; I was sick, and ye raised me up again;" but, "ye visited me," and, "ye came unto me." And neither in hunger is the thing commanded grievous. For no costly table did He seek, but what is needful only, and His necessary food, and He sought in a suppliant's garb, so that all things were enough to bring punishment on them; the easiness of the request, for it was bread; the pitiable character of Him that requesteth, for He was poor; the sympathy of nature, for He was a man; the desirableness of the promise, for He promised a kingdom; the fearfulness of the punishment, for He threatened hell. The dignity of the one receiving, for it was God, who was receiving by the poor; the surpassing nature of the honor, that He vouchsafed to condescend so far; His just claim for what they bestowed, for of His own was He receiving. But against all these things covetousness once for all blinded them that were seized by it; and this though so great a threat was set against it.
The Medieval Church2 voices
I was hungry. Here nothing else need be said except that he speaks differently to the good and to the wicked: because above he stated each thing separately, here he joins many together; hence sick and in prison. And because he joins these two, it …
Tremble, then, O man, and understand from this that these men were not punished as fornicators, or robbers, or perpetrators of any other vice, but for not having done good. For indeed, if you consider things well, the robber is he who has much and …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. That in general which is to be illustrated is, the kingdom of heaven, the state of things under the gospel, the external kingdom of Christ, and the administration and success of it. Some of Christ's parables had shown us what it is like now in the present reception of it, as ch. xiii.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat - I put it in your power to do good, and ye would not. A variety of occasions offered themselves to you, but ye neglected them all, so that my blessings in your hands, not being improved, according to my order, became a curse to you.
In these verses our Lord Jesus Christ describes the judgment day, and some of its leading circumstances. There are few passages in the whole Bible more solemn and heart-seaching than this. May we read it with the deep and serious attention which it deserves. Let us mark in the first place who will be the judge in the last day. We read that it will be “the Son of Man” Jesus Christ himself.
In these verses our Lord Jesus Christ describes the judgment day, and some of its leading circumstances. There are few passages in the whole Bible more solemn and heart-seaching than this. May we read it with the deep and serious attention which it deserves. Let us mark in the first place who will be the judge in the last day. We read that it will be “the Son of Man” Jesus Christ himself. That same Jesus who was born in the manger of Bethlehem and took upon him the very form of a servant; who was despised and rejected of men and often had not where to lay his head; who was condemned by the princes of this world, beaten, scourged and nailed to the cross—that same Jesus shall himself judge the world when he comes in his glory. To him The Father hath commited all judgment. ( John 5:22 ). To him at last every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord ( Philippians 2:10–11 ). Let believers think of this and take comfort. He that sits upon the throne in that great and dreadful day will be their Saviour, their Shepherd, their High Priest, their elder Brother, their Friend. When they see him they will have no cause to be alarmed. Let unconverted people think of this and be afraid. Their judge will be that very Christ whose Gospel they now despise, and whose gracious invitations they refuse to hear. How great will be their confusion at last if they go on in unbelief and die in their sins! To be condemned in the day of judgment by anyone would be awful; but to be condemned by him who would have saved them will be awful indeed. Well may the psalmist say, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry” ( Psalm 2:12 ). Let us mark in the second place who will be judged on the last day. We read that before Christ “shall be gathered all the nations.”
The words behind it
12 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐπείνασα | epeinasa | I hungered | G3983 → | 23 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | nothing | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἐδώκατέ | edokate | you gave | G1325 → | 412 times |
| μοι | moi | to Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| φαγεῖν, | phagein | to eat, | G5315 → | 93 times |
| ἐδίψησα | edipsesa | I thirsted | G1372 → | 16 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | nothing | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἐποτίσατέ | epotisate | You gave to drink | G4222 → | 15 times |
| με, | me | Me, | G3165 → | 1936 times |
ἐπείνασαI hungered
epeinasaG3983 →23 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐκnothing
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἐδώκατέyou gave
edokateG1325 →412 times
μοιto Me
moiG3165 →1936 times
φαγεῖν,to eat,
phageinG5315 →93 times
ἐδίψησαI thirsted
edipsesaG1372 →16 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐκnothing
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἐποτίσατέYou gave to drink
epotisateG4222 →15 times
με,Me,
meG3165 →1936 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 5:23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:23
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
- Luke 10:16
Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
- 2 John 1:9
Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
- 1 John 2:23
Through
Matthew 12:30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
it leads to
- Mark 9:40
For whoever is not against us is for us.
- Luke 11:23
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
- Luke 9:50
“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
- Joshua 24:15
But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods…
- 1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of…
- Mark 9:40
Where this verse is studied
About Matthew

This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 81; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 79; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.
