Matthew 25:9

Not so, lest, etc. (μήποτε οὐ μὴ ἀρκέσῃ) The Greek does not give the blunt negative of the A.V. It is a more courteous form of refusal, making the reason for refusing to supply the place of the negative. Give us of your oil, say the foolish. The wise reply, Lest perchance there be not by any means (οὐ μὴ, the double negative) enough. The Rev. gives it very happily. Peradventure there will not be enough, etc.

9 . lest there be not enough for us and you ] The bridal procession was still to be made in which there would be need of burning lamps. The wise cannot impart their oil:—an incident necessary to the leading idea of the parable;—nothing can make up for unreadiness at the last moment. This point has been adduced as an argument against works of supererogation. Not so; lest there be not ] Accepting a variation in the text adopted by Lachmann and Tregelles and Meyer, translate “Not so;” (which now comes into the text,) “there will surely not be enough,” &c.

Matthew 25:9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so — The words, not so, are not in the Greek, which is only, μηποτε ουκ αρκεση ημιν και υμιν , lest it should not be sufficient for us and you. They begin the sentence abruptly, showing thereby their surprise at the state of those poor wretches who had so long deceived them, as well as their own souls. Lest there be not enough — It is sure there is not: for no man has more holiness than is sufficient for himself. Go ye rather to them that sell — Without money, and without price: That is, to God in Christ. And buy — If ye can. O no! The time is past, and returns no more. But this clause, Buy for yourselves, seems, as Dr.

Doddridge observes, “merely an ornamental circumstance; and it is strange that any popish writers should consider it as favouring their doctrine of a stock of merits in the church, founded on works of supererogation; since, if it referred to them at all, (which there is no reason to imagine,) it would rather expose than encourage any dependance upon them.” Observe, reader, now only is the accepted time, and the day of salvation, when we may come to God through Christ, in the use of the means of grace, and buy for ourselves the divine oil, which will never fail us: nay, we are counselled and exhorted to do so: and if we despise and reject these counsels and exhortations, while they may be useful, our cries and wishes will be as surely rejected another day, and our vain attempts to purchase when the bridegroom is coming will issue in an eternal exclusion from his kingdom.

Matthew 25:9 . μήποτε , lest, implying, and giving a reason for, an unexpressed declinature. Kypke renders, perhaps, fortasse , citing examples from classics, also Loesner, giving examples from Philo. Elsner suggests that ὁρᾶτε or βλέπετε is understood before μήποτε . Schott, putting a comma after ὑμῖν , and omitting δὲ after πορεύεσθε , translates thus: lest perchance there be not enough for us and you, go rather to them that sell, etc. (“ne forte oleum neque nobis neque vobis sufficiat, abite potius,” etc.).— πορεύεσθε , etc.: this seems a cold, ungenerous suggestion on the part of the wise, and apparently untrue to what was likely to occur among girls at such a time. Could the oil really be got at such a time of night? and, supposing it could, would going not throw them out of the festivities? Augustine says: “non consulentium sed irridentium est ista responsio” (Serm. xc., iii., 8). More humanely, in the modern spirit, Koetsveld suggests that the marriage procession to music and song was very slow, and that there was a fair chance of overtaking it after the purchase ( De Gelijk. , p. 220). Let us hope so; but I fear we must fall back on the fact that “sudden emergencies bring into play a certain element of selfishness,” and take the advice of the wise as simply a refusal to be burdened with their neighbours’ affairs

9. But the wise answered, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you—The words "Not so," it will be seen, are not in the original, where the reply is very elliptical—"In case there be not enough for us and you." A truly wise answer this. "And what, then, if we shall share it with you? Why, both will be undone." but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves—Here again it would be straining the parable beyond its legitimate design to make it teach that men may get salvation even after they are supposed and required to have it already gotten. It is merely a friendly way of reminding them of the proper way of obtaining the needed and precious article, with a certain reflection on them for having it now to seek. Also, when the parable speaks of "selling" and "buying" that valuable article, it means simply, "Go, get it in the only legitimate way." And yet the word "buy" is significant; for we are elsewhere bidden, "buy wine and milk without money and without price," and "buy of Christ gold tried in the fire," &c. (Isa 55:1; Re 3:18). Now, since what we pay the demanded price for becomes thereby our own property, the salvation which we thus take gratuitously at God's hands, being bought in His own sense of that word, becomes ours thereby in inalienable possession. (Compare for the language, Pr 23:23; Mt 13:44).

(9) Not so. —The words, as the italics show, are not in the Greek. They are, perhaps, necessary to complete the sense in English; but there is a tone of regretful tenderness in the way in which, in the original, the wise virgins give the reason that makes compliance with the request impossible, without directly uttering a refusal. Go ye rather to them that sell.—This feature in the parable is too remarkable to be passed over lightly, especially as the “exchangers” in the parable that follows are clearly more or less analogous. We have to ask, then, who they are that, in the interpretation of the parable, according to the data already ascertained, answer to “them that sell.” And the answer is, that they are the pastors and teachers of the Church—the stewards of the mysteries of God. Through them, whether as preachers of the divine Word of Wisdom, or as administering the sacraments which are signs and means of grace, men may, by God’s appointment, obtain the gift and grace they need. The “buying” and “selling” belong, of course, in their literal sense, to the parable only. No gift of God can be purchased with money (Acts 8:20). But the words are not, therefore, any more than in Matthew 13:44-46 (where see Notes), destitute of meaning. Men may “buy” the truth which they are not to sell (Proverbs 23:23). They are invited to buy the “wine and milk,” which symbolise God’s spiritual gifts, “without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

Matthew 25:9 . Λέγουσαι , κ . τ . λ ., saying , etc.) In this, as in everything else, they showed themselves prudent.— μήτοτε , κ . τ . λ ., lest , etc.) A broken[1085] sentence, suitable to the hurry of that event.— οὐκ ἀρκέσῃ , there be not sufficient ) sc. for both you and us: i.e. we cannot share with you: a metonomy of the consequent [for the antecedent]. Every one must live by his own faith.— ἡμῖν , for us ) The prudent now have hardly[1086] enough for their own use. You ought previously to have followed the example of the prudent.— πορεύεσθε , κ . τ . λ ., go ye , etc.) Let us do in time what will then prove to have been wise.— πρὸς τοὺς πωλοῦντας , to them that sell ) although they are not traders [ i.e. do not make salvation a matter of traffic].— ἀγοράσατε , buy ) See Revelation 3:18 . [1085] “ Not so ,” is not expressed in the original, which abruptly begins with “ μήποτε ,” “ lest haply .”—ED. [1086] “ Ægre .” There is here an allusion to 1 Peter 4:18 , where Bengel renders μόλις (E. V. scarcely , Vulg. vix ) by ægre . See Gnomon in loc.—(I. B.)

Matthew 25:9 . Μήποτε … ὑμῖν ] Since οὐ μή is the correct reading (see critical remarks), and seeing that the ἀρκέσῃ following cannot be regarded as dependent on μήποτε , but only on οὐ μή , the punctuation should be as follows: μήποτε · οὐ μὴ ἀρκέσῃ , κ . τ . λ .: never (shall we give you of our oil): there will certainly not be enough for us and you ! For the absolute negative μὴ , comp. Matthew 26:5 ; Exodus 10:11 ; Matthiae, p. 1454; Kühner, II. 2, p. 1047. Correctly Bornemann, as above, p. 110; Bleek, Lange, Luthardt. Comp. Winer, p. 556 [E. T. 632]; Ellendt, Lex. Soph . II. p. 107.