New English Translation
Matthew 9:15
15Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
Matthew 9:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
- New International Version (NIV)Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Context of Matthew 9:15
13Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 14Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast. 16No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse. 17And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.”
Read all of Matthew 9Matthew 9:15 word by word
Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος πενθεῖν ἐφ᾽ ὅσον μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ νυμφίος; ἐλεύσονται δὲ ἡμέραι ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος, καὶ τότε νηστεύσουσιν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- Canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
- the childrenυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- of the bridechamberνυμφώνnumphōn · bridegroomG3567
- mournπενθέωpentheō · to mournG3996
- asἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- long asὅσοςhosos · just as/how muchG3745
- the bridegroomνυμφίοςnumphios · bridegroomG3566
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- butδέde · thenG1161
- the daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
- will comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- whenὅτανhotan · when(-ever)G3752
- shall be takenἀπαίρωapairō · to take awayG522
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- thenτότεtote · thenG5119
- shall they fastνηστεύωnēsteuō · to fastG3522
Cross-references for Matthew 9:15
- Matthew 25:1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
- Judges 14:11When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen who kept him company.
- Psalms 45:14In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king. Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her, are led before you.
- John 3:29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.
- Revelation 19:9Then the angel said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
- Revelation 21:2And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
- Luke 24:13Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
- John 16:6Instead your hearts are filled with sadness because I have said these things to you.
- Acts 1:9After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.
- Isaiah 22:12At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth.
- Acts 13:1Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch from childhood) and Saul.
- Acts 14:23When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had believed.
- 1 Corinthians 7:5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your relationship, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
- 2 Corinthians 11:27in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.
Commentaries on Matthew 9:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Can the children of the bride-chamber - . Or, , bridegroom, as the Cod. Bezae and several versions have it. These persons were the companions of the bridegroom, who accompanied him to the house of his father-in-law when he went to bring the bride to his own home. The marriage-feast among the Jews lasted seven days; but the new married woman was considered to be a bride for thirty days. Marriage feasts were times of extraordinary festivity, and even of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-17Verses 14-17 Then came the disciples of John - This narrative is found also in Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39. The reference here is to John the Baptist. It is probable that they had understood that John was the forerunner of the Messiah; and if such was the case, they could not account for the fact that there was such a difference between them and the disciples of Jesus. The Pharisees fasted often - regularly twice a week besides the great national days of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-17Verses 14-17 John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, and the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who were peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. Christ referred them to John's testimony of him, Joh 3:29. Though there is no doubt that Jesus and his disciples lived in a spare and frugal manner, it would be improper for his disciples to fast while they had the comfort of his presence. When he is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15The guests of the bridegroom: John the Baptist described the Messiah and his disciples this way (John 3:29). He used Old Testament images to show who Jesus really was (see Matthew 25:1–13; Isaiah 54:5–6). taken away: This is the first prediction Jesus made about his violent death (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12, 22–23; 20:18–19; 26:2, 26–35; Isaiah 53:8). then they will fast: Jesus might be talking about the disciples' sadness right after his crucifixion, or…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 9:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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