Matthew 25:34

New Testament

32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

2 Enoch 9:1

Secrets of Enoch
Pseudepigrapha

1 'This place, Enoch, is prepared for the righteous, those who endure all kinds of offenses from those who provoke their souls. They turn their eyes away from wrongdoing, make fair judgments, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, lift up the fallen, assist injured orphans, and walk blamelessly in the presence of the Lord, serving Him alone. For them, this place is prepared for eternal inheritance.'

 Notes and References

"... A decision concerning the origin of the addition bears directly on the background to the admonition in verse 28 to clothe the naked poor person. Kearns, Smend, and Segal see an allusion to Isaiah 58:7, while Peters sees an allusion to Matthew 25:36-38. Of course, the Isaianic background is possible on either theory of the origins of the addition, but a reference to Matt 25:36.38 is probably possible only on the theory of a Syriac origin. Given that Proverbs 19:17 and Matthew 25:31-46 were frequently combined by early Christian writers, this would not be a surprising juxtaposition. However, both Isaiah 58:7 and Matthew 25:36-38 use language similar to that of the LXX and the Peshitta, so it is impossible to decide the matter conclusively. In addition, the combination of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked in Sirach 29:28 reflects a stock combination in descriptions of piety (e.g. Ezekiel 18:7.16; Job 22:6-7; 31:17-32; Tobit 1:16-17; 2 Enoch 9:1; 42:8; 63:1; Avot de Rabbi Natan 7; etc.). Therefore, while Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25 are possible associations, there also may be no specific allusion at work in verse 28 ..."

Gregory, Bradley C. Like an Everlasting Signet Ring: Generosity in the Book of Sirach (pp. 215-216) De Gruyter, 2010

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.