The Meaning of Matthew 22:8 Explained

Matthew 22:8

KJV: Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

YLT: then saith he to his servants, The marriage-feast indeed is ready, and those called were not worthy,

Darby: Then he says to his bondmen, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy;

ASV: Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  saith he  to his  servants,  The wedding  is  ready,  but  they which were bidden  were  not  worthy. 

What does Matthew 22:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 22:1-14 - The Penalty Of Slighting The Invitation
We have here a continuation of our Lord's teaching on that last great day in the Temple. This day seems to have begun with Matthew 21:23, and it continued to Matthew 25:46. What wonder that His strength was prematurely exhausted, and that He succumbed so soon under the anguish of His cross!
In this parable He describes His union with His people under the symbolism of marriage. This must have suggested the allusions of Ephesians 5:23-32, where the Apostle tells us that Christ loved the Church as His bride; and of Romans 7:1-4, where He encourages us to believe that we may be married to Him who was raised from the dead. We can never forget Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9. Messenger after messenger was sent to the Hebrew people, but as they would not come, the Church was called from the highways and byways of the world to occupy the vacant space. But let us see to it that we are clothed in the spotless robe of His righteousness, in which alone we can stand in the searching light of eternity. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 22

1  The parable of the marriage of the king's son
9  The vocation of the Gentiles
12  The punishment of him who lacked a wedding garment
15  Tribute ought to be paid to Caesar
23  Jesus confutes the Sadducees for the resurrection;
34  answers which is the first and great commandment;
41  and puzzles the Pharisees by a question about the Messiah

What do the individual words in Matthew 22:8 mean?

Then he says to servants of him The indeed wedding feast ready is those however having been invited not were worthy
τότε λέγει τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ μὲν γάμος ἕτοιμός ἐστιν οἱ δὲ κεκλημένοι οὐκ ἦσαν ἄξιοι

λέγει  he  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
δούλοις  servants 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: δοῦλοσ1 
Sense: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
μὲν  indeed 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: μέν  
Sense: truly, certainly, surely, indeed.
γάμος  wedding  feast 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: γάμος  
Sense: a wedding or marriage festival, a wedding banquet, a wedding feast.
ἕτοιμός  ready 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἕτοιμος  
Sense: prepare ready.
οἱ  those 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
κεκλημένοι  having  been  invited 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: καλέω  
Sense: to call.
ἄξιοι  worthy 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄξιος  
Sense: weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much.