Then shall the kingdom of heaven
The Gospel church state; (See Gill on Matthew
13:24) either as it would be a little before the coming
of the son of man to take vengeance on the Jews; or as it will be
a little before his second coming to judgment: for the parable is
manifestly connected with, and refers to the preceding chapter,
which chiefly treats of Jerusalem's destruction: but though the
Jews were in great security before their utter ruin, yet it does
not appear that the Christian church was then in such a lukewarm,
drowsy, and sleepy condition, as this parable represents; and
since, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, there are
some hints of Christ's second and last coming; when the servant
found doing his Lord's will, will be greatly honoured, and the
wicked, cruel, and licentious servant will be severely punished;
and since, at the close of this and the following parable, there
is a very lively description given of the last judgment; as also,
because it appears elsewhere, that such will be the formal,
lukewarm, cold, indifferent, secure, and sleepy state of the
church, before the second coming of Christ: it seems right and
best to understand this parable, and the following, as having
respect to that: and that the design of it is to show, what will
be the case of professors at that time; the difference between
nominal and real Christians; how far persons may go in a
profession of religion, and yet, at last, be shut out of heaven:
as also the suddenness of Christ's coming; the necessity of being
ready for it; and how watchful the saints should be, that they be
not surprised with it. Now some time before this, the Gospel
church state, or the body of professing Christians, will
be likened unto ten virgins;
to "virgins" for quality; being betrothed ones to Christ, at
least in profession; and because of the singleness of their love,
and chaste adherence to him, however, as they will declare, and
which, in some of them, will be fact; and for their beauty,
comeliness, and gay attire, being, as they will profess, clothed
with the righteousness of Christ; with that fine linen, clean and
white, with cloth of gold, and raiment of needlework, and so
perfectly comely through his comeliness: and for their purity and
uncorruptness of doctrine, worship, and conversation, at least in
appearance, and which will be true of many of them; and all, from
their profession, will bear the same character: these for their
quantity and number, are compared to "ten" virgins; which may,
perhaps, denote the small number of professors at this time; see
( Genesis
18:32 ) that there will be but few, that will then name the
name of Christ, and fewer still who will not have defiled their
garments, and be virgins indeed. The number "ten" was greatly
taken notice of, and used among the Jews: a congregation, with
them, consisted of ten persons, and less than that number did not
make one F6: and wherever there were ten persons
in a place, they were obliged to build a synagogue F7. Ten
elders of the city were witnesses of Boaz's taking Ruth to be his
wife, ( Ruth 4:2
Ruth 4:9 Ruth 4:10 ) . Now it may
be in reference to the former of these, that this number ten is
here expressed, since the parable relates to the congregated
churches of Christ, or to Christ's visible church on earth:
moreover, they say, that
``with less than ten they did not divide the "shema", (i.e. "hear O Israel", and say any part of the blessings that went before it;) nor did (the messenger of the congregation) go before the ark (to pray); nor did (the priests) lift up their hands (to bless the people); nor did they read in the law (in the congregation); nor did they dismiss (the people) with (a passage out of one of) the prophets; nor did they make a standing, and a sitting (when they carried the dead to the grave, which used to be done seven times, to weep over the dead); nor did they say the blessing of the mourners, nor the comforts of the mourners (when they returned from the grave, and stood in a row to comfort the mourner; and there was no row less than ten); (Myntx tkrbw) , "nor the blessing of the bridegrooms",''which consisted of seven blessings, and this was not said but in the presence of ten persons F8: to which there may be an allusion here: for the whole alludes to the solemnities of a marriage among the Jews, when the bridegroom fetched home his bride from her father's house, attended with his friends, the children of the bridechamber, and which was usually done in the night: and, at the same time, the bride was waiting for him, accompanied with virgins, or bridemaids; see ( Psalms 45:14 ) who, when they perceived the bridegroom coming, went out with lamps, or torches, to meet him, and conduct him to her; hence it follows,
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom.
The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions, add, "and the
bride", contrary to the "Greek" copies, excepting the Cambridge
copy of Beza's. Nor do the Arabic and Ethiopic versions so read;
nor Munster's Hebrew Gospel; nor does it agree with the above
custom. By "the bridegroom" is meant Christ, who stands in this
relation to his church and people; he saw them in the glass of
the purposes and decrees of God, and loved them, and asked them
of his father to be given him as his spouse and bride; and who
did give them to him, when he secretly betrothed them to himself,
in the everlasting covenant, as he does their particular persons
at conversion, and will consummate the marriage of them all at
the last day; and, in the mean while, acts the part of a
bridegroom to them; he loves them as a bridegroom loves his
bride, with a love prior to theirs, free and unmerited; with a
love of complacency and delight, which is single and chaste,
strong and affectionate; constant and perpetual, wonderful,
matchless, and inconceivable: he sympathizes with them,
nourishes, and cherishes them as his own flesh; providing
spiritual food, and rich clothing for them; and indulging them
with intimate communion with himself, and interests them in all
he has; and when he comes again a second time, he will appear
under this character. His first appearance was mean, in the form
of a servant, in the likeness of sinful flesh, in garments rolled
in blood; but when he comes a second time, he will appear as a
bridegroom in his nuptial robes; all his elect will be prepared
for him, beautified and adorned as a bride for her husband; when
he will come and take them home to himself, and will avow them to
be his before his Father, and his holy angels: and which will be
a time of great glory, and great joy. Now these virgins are said
to take their lamps, and go forth to meet him: by their lamps are
meant, either the word of God, the Scriptures of truth,
particularly the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; which, like a
lamp, were lighted in the evening of the Jewish dispensation, and
will shine the brightest towards the end of the world: these are
like lamps both to walk by, and work by, and were a light to all
these virgins; some were savingly enlightened into them, and by
them; and others only notionally, but were taken up, owned, and
professed, as the rule of faith and practice, by them all; and
that in order to meet and find the bridegroom, for they testify
of him: or rather an external profession of religion is designed
by the lamps, which is distinct from the oil of grace, and the
vessel of the heart, in which that is; and is that into which the
oil is put and burns, so as to become visible: and must be daily
recruited, and trimmed with fresh supplies of grace from Christ,
without which it cannot be kept up, nor will be of any use and
service; and is what may go out, or be dropped and lost, as some
of these lamps. Now this was what was taken up by them all; they
all made a profession of Christ, and his Gospel: some of them
took it up aright, upon an experience of the grace of God, and
principles of grace wrought in their souls; others, without any
experience, and without considering the nature, importance, and
consequences of a profession: and so they all went forth to meet
the bridegroom: some in the exercise of faith on him, and in his
coming; in love to him, and his appearance; desiring, and longing
to see him; expecting, and waiting for him: others only in a way
of a visible profession of religion, and an outward attendance on
ordinances. The custom here alluded to of meeting the bridegroom,
and attending the bride home to his house in the night, with
lighted torches, or lamps, and such a number of them as here
mentioned, was not only the custom of the Jews, but of other
eastern nations F9. Jarchi says F11, it
was the custom of the Ishmaelites; his words are these:
``it was a custom in the land of Ishmael, to bring the bride from her father's house to her husband's house, (hlylb) , "in the night", before she entered the nuptial chamber; and to carry before her (Nyodnwq rvek) , "about ten staves"; and upon the top of the staff was the form of a brazen dish, and in the midst of it, pieces of garments, oil, and pitch, which they set fire to, and lighted before her.''Something like this is the custom of the East Indians now, which is thus related F12:
``on the day of their marriage, the husband and wife being both in the same "palki", or "palanquin", (which is the ordinary way of carriage in the country, and is carried by four men upon their shoulders,) go out between seven and eight o'clock "at night", accompanied with all their kindred and friends; the trumpets and drums go before them; and they are "lighted" by a multitude of "massals", which are a kind of flambeaux; immediately behind the "palanquin" of the newly married couple, walk many "women", whose business is to sing verses, wherein they wish them all kind of prosperity.--The newly married couple go abroad in this equipage, for the space of some hours; after which they return to their own house, where the "women" and domestics wait for them: the whole house is enlightened with little lamps, and many of these "massals", already mentioned, are kept ready for their arrival, besides those that accompany them, and go before their "palanquin". This sort of lights are nothing else, but many pieces of old linen squeezed hard against one another, in a round figure, and forcibly thrust down into a mould of copper; those who hold them in one hand, have, in the other, a bottle of the same metal, with the mould copper, which is full of oil; and they take care to pour out of it, from time to time, upon the linen, which otherwise gives no light.''