Matthew 9 · Verse 15

Matthew 9:15

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.
Matthew 9:15, King James Version

Matthew 9:15 in other translations

BSBJesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
WEBJesus 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.
ASVAnd Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast.
YLTAnd Jesus said to them, ‘Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn, so long as the bridegroom is with them? but days shall come when the bridegroom may be taken from them, and then they shall fast.
DARBYAnd Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken away from them, and then they will fast.
BBEAnd Jesus said to them, Will the friends of the newly-married man be sad as long as he is with them? But the days will come when he will be taken away from them, and then will they go without food.
WebsterAnd Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they will fast.

What does Matthew 9:15 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 15. Mt 9:14

(w) "bridegroom is with" Mt 25:1,10, Jn 3:29, Rev 21:2 (x) "then shall they fast Isa 22:12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Can the children of the bride-chamber - Νυμφωνος. Or, νυμφιου, 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 riot, among several people of the east. When the bridegroom shall be taken from them, etc. - There was one annual fast observed in the primitive Church, called by our ancestors the spring fast, and, by us, Lent; by the Greeks τεσσερακοϚη, and by the Latins, Quadrigessima. This fast is pretended to be kept by many, in the present day, in commemoration of our Lord's forty days' fast in the wilderness; but it does not appear that, in the purest ages of the primitive Church, genuine Christians ever pretended that their quadrigessimal fast was kept for the above purpose. Their fast was kept merely to commemorate the time during which Jesus Christ lay under the power of death, which was about Forty Hours; and it was in this sense they understood the words of this text: the days will come, etc. With them, the bridegroom meant Christ: the time in which he was taken away, his crucifixion, death, and the time he lay in the grave. Suppose him dying about twelve o'clock on what is called Friday, and that he rose about four on the morning of his own day, (St. John says, Early, while it was yet dark, Mat 20:1), the interim makes forty hours, which was the true primitive Lent, or quadrigessimal fast. It is true that many in the primitive Church were not agreed on this subject, as Socrates, in his Church History, book v. chap. 22, says, "Some thought they should fast one day; others two; others more." Different Churches also were divided concerning the length of the time, some keeping it three, others five, and others seven weeks; and the historian himself is puzzled to know why they all agreed in calling these fasts, differing so much in their duration, by the name of Quadrigessima, or forty days' fast: the plain obvious reason appears to me to have been simply this: They put Days in the place of Hours; and this absurdity continues in some Christian Churches to the present day. For more on fasting, see Mat 6:16.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 9:14-17

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…

Read the full comment on Matthew 9:14-17 →

Matthew 9:15 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
ὁho<the>G3588
Ἰησοῦς·IēsousJesus;G2424
μὴmēSurely notG3361
δύνανταιdunantaicanG1410
οἱhoitheG3588
υἱοὶhuioisonsG5207
τοῦtouof theG3588
νυμφῶνοςnumphōnosbridechamberG3567
πενθεῖνpenthein[are] to mournG3996
ἐφ᾽eph᾽asG1909
ὅσονhosonlong asG3745
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
ἐστινestinisG1510
ὁhotheG3588
νυμφίος;numphiosbridegroom?G3566
ἐλεύσονταιeleusontaiWill comeG2064
δὲdehoweverG1161
ἡμέραιhēmeraidaysG2250
ὅτανhotanwhenG3752
ἀπαρθῇaparthēamay have been taken awayG522
ἀπ᾽ap᾽fromG575
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
ὁhotheG3588
νυμφίος,numphiosbridegroom,G3566
καὶkaiandG2532
τότεtotethenG5119
νηστεύσουσιν.nēsteusousinthey will fast.G3522

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 9:15

  • Revelation 19:9

    And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

  • Revelation 21:2

    And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

  • John 3:29

    He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

  • Acts 13:1-3

    Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

  • John 16:20-22

    Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

  • Acts 14:23

    And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

  • Matthew 25:1-10

    Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. …

  • Psalms 45:14-15

    She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.

  • John 16:6

    But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

  • 1 Corinthians 7:5

    Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

  • Isaiah 22:12

    And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

  • Luke 24:13-21

    And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Can.
25:1-10; Jud 14:11-20; Ps 45:14,15; Joh 3:29; Re 19:9; 21:2
when.
Lu 24:13-21; Joh 16:6,20-22; Ac 1:9,10
and then.
Isa 22:12; Ac 13:1-3; 14:23; 1Co 7:5; 2Co 11:27

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 9:14

    Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

  • Matthew 9:15

    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.

  • Matthew 9:16

    No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Read all of Matthew 9

Matthew 9:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Jesús les dijo: ¿Pueden los que son de bodas tener luto entre tanto que el esposo está con ellos? mas vendrán días cuando el esposo será quitado de ellos, y entonces ayunarán.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jésus leur dit: Les fils de la chambre nuptiale peuvent-ils mener deuil tant que l’époux est avec eux? Mais des jours viendront, lorsque l’époux leur aura été ôté; et alors ils jeûneront.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jesus sprach zu ihnen: Können etwa die Söhne des Brautgemachs trauern, so lange der Bräutigam bei ihnen ist? Es werden aber Tage kommen, da der Bräutigam von ihnen weggenommen sein wird, und dann werden sie fasten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ait illis Jesus: Numquid possunt filii sponsi lugere, quamdiu cum illis est sponsus? Venient autem dies cum auferetur ab eis sponsus: et tunc jejunabunt.