The Meaning of Matthew 25:36 Explained

Matthew 25:36

KJV: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

YLT: naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me.

Darby: naked, and ye clothed me; I was ill, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came to me.

ASV: naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Naked,  and  ye clothed  me:  I was sick,  and  ye visited  me:  I was  in  prison,  and  ye came  unto  me. 

What does Matthew 25:36 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 25:31-46 - Serve Christ By Serving Others
We are called to watch the procedure of God's moral government. This is primarily a forecast of the judgment of the nations, Matthew 25:32. It would seem as though, in the first instance, their doom will be largely affected by their treatment of the Hebrew people, the brethren of Jesus after the flesh, Matthew 25:40. Probably this parable is being enacted before our eyes-Spain in the Cuban war and Russia today.
But the parable has a wider range. Our Lord evidently identifies Himself, not so much with great causes as with all who are weary and heavy laden, who are sorrowful or sinful, who have drifted into the hospitals and prisons of the world. None are too desolate and sorrowful to attract His loving notice, and He hails as "blessed" all who sympathize with and help them. In the closing verse, it should be noticed that in the r.v. the word eternal stands in each clause; and it should be remembered that it stands for a quality of existence which is altogether independent of time. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 25

1  The parable of the ten virgins,
14  and of the talents
31  Also the description of the last judgment

Greek Commentary for Matthew 25:36

Clothed me [περιεβαλετε με]
Second aorist middle indicative, cast something around me. [source]
Visited me [επεσκεπσαστε με]
Looked after, came to see. Our “visit” is from Latin viso, video. Cf. our English “go to see.” [source]
Visited [ἐπεσκέψασθε]
Lit., Ye looked upon. Our word visit is from the Latin viso, to look steadfastly at, and thence to visit. We retain the original thought in the popular phrases go to see one, and to look in upon one. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 25:36

Luke 1:78 Hath visited [ἐπεσκέψατο]
See on Matthew 25:36; and 1 Peter 2:12. Some, however, read ἐπισκέψεται ,shall visit. So Rev. [source]
Hebrews 2:6 But one somewhere [δε που τις]
See Hebrews 4:4 for a like indefinite quotation. Philo uses this “literary mannerism” (Moffatt). He quotes Psalm 8:5-7 and extends here to Hebrews 2:8. Hath testified First aorist middle indicative of διαμαρτυρομαι — diamarturomai old verb to testify vigorously (Acts 2:40). What Neuter, not masculine τις — tis (who). The insignificance of man is implied. The son of man Not ο υιος του αντρωπου — ho huios tou anthrōpou which Jesus used so often about himself, but literally here “son of man” like the same words so often in Ezekiel, without Messianic meaning here. Visited Second person singular present indicative middle of επισκεπτομαι — episkeptomai old verb to look upon, to look after, to go to see (Matthew 25:36), from which verb επισχοπος — episcopos overseer, bishop, comes. [source]
James 1:27 To visit [ἐπισκέπτεσθαι]
See on Matthew 25:36. James strikes a downright blow here at ministry by proxy, or by mere gifts of money. Pure and undefiled religion demands personal contact with the world's sorrow: to visit the afflicted, and to visit them in their affliction. “The rich man, prodigal of money, which is to him of little value, but altogether incapable of devoting any personal attention to the object of his alms, often injures society by his donations; but this is rarely the case with that far nobler charity which makes men familiar with the haunts of wretchedness, and follows the object of its care through all the phases of his life” (Lecky, “History of European Morals,” ii., 98). [source]
James 1:27 Before our God and Father [παρα τωι τεωι και πατρι]
By the side of Αμιαντος — Amiantos (compound verbal adjective, alpha privative, μιαινω — miainō to defile), puts in negative form (cf. James 1:4, James 1:6) the idea in καταρα — kathara (pure, clean). This Feminine demonstrative pronoun in the predicate agreeing with τρησκεια — thrēskeia visit Epexegetic (explaining αυτη — hautē) present middle infinitive of επισκεπτομαι — episkeptomai common verb to go to see, to inspect, present tense for habit of going to see. See Matthew 25:36, Matthew 25:43 for visiting the sick.The fatherless and widows (ορπανους και χηρας — orphanous kai chēras). “The natural objects of charity in the community” (Ropes). Ορπανος — Orphanos is old word for bereft of father or mother or both. In N.T. only here and John 14:18. Note order (orphans before widows).Unspotted Old adjective (alpha privative and σπιλος — spilos spot), spotless. This the more important of the two illustrations and the hardest to execute.To keep (τηρειν — tērein). Present active infinitive, “to keep on keeping oneself un-specked from the world” (a world, κοσμος — kosmos full of dirt and slime that bespatters the best of men). [source]
James 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked [εαν αδελπος η αδελπη γυμνοι υπαρχωσιν]
Condition again of third class (supposable case) with εαν — ean and present active subjunctive of υπαρχω — huparchō to exist, in the plural though η — ē (or) is used and not και — kai (and). Hence γυμνοι — gumnoi is masculine plural in the predicate nominative. It does not here mean absolutely naked, but without sufficient clothing as in Matthew 25:36.; John 21:7; Acts 19:16. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 25:36 mean?

naked and you clothed Me I was sick you visited in prison I was you came to
γυμνὸς καὶ περιεβάλετέ με ἠσθένησα ἐπεσκέψασθέ ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην ἤλθατε πρός

γυμνὸς  naked 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: γυμνός  
Sense: properly.
περιεβάλετέ  you  clothed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: παρεμβάλλω 
Sense: to throw around, to put around.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἠσθένησα  I  was  sick 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἀσθενέω  
Sense: to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless.
ἐπεσκέψασθέ  you  visited 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἐπισκέπτομαι  
Sense: to look upon or after, to inspect, examine with the eyes.
φυλακῇ  prison 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: φυλακή  
Sense: guard, watch.
ἤμην  I  was 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle, 1st Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ἤλθατε  you  came 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.