Where is the parable of the ten virgins in the Bible?

Matthew 25:1–13. Only Matthew records it, in the teaching on the Mount of Olives, between the faithful servant (Matthew 24:45–51) and the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30).

What does the oil represent in the parable of the ten virgins?

The text does not say. Common readings see faith, good works or the Holy Spirit in it, but those are interpretations. What the parable makes clear is that the oil has to be got beforehand and cannot be borrowed at the last moment.

What is the lesson of the ten virgins?

To be ready for Jesus' return, even if it takes longer than expected. The last verse sums it up: "Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:13).

Walking with Jesus / The parables of Jesus

The parable of the ten virgins

The bridegroom was late — and only half of them were ready for late.

Ten young women wait for the bridegroom so they can escort him, with lamps, to the wedding feast. Five bring spare oil; five bring only what is in the lamp. The bridegroom is delayed, they all doze off, and at midnight someone shouts that he is coming.

Jesus tells it near the end, on the Mount of Olives, in a run of teaching about waiting for his return.

The story, step by step

Matthew 25:1–4Ten virgins with lamps: five wise, five foolish
Matthew 25:5The bridegroom is delayed, and they all sleep
Matthew 25:6–7At midnight, the cry: the bridegroom is coming
Matthew 25:8–9The foolish ask for oil and are refused
Matthew 25:10–12While they go to buy, the door is shut
Matthew 25:13Watch, for you do not know the day or the hour

The line the story turns on

Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Matthew 25:13

Notice that all ten fall asleep. The difference between the wise and the foolish is not that some stayed awake — it is that some prepared for the possibility of a long wait. "Watch" here does not mean insomnia. It means being ready for a delay nobody knows the length of.

What it means

The wise ones' refusal to share their oil looks mean at first reading. But the parable is saying something about what cannot be transferred: one person's readiness cannot be lent to another at the last minute. Some things each person has to have for themselves.

The ending is hard — the shut door and the "I don't know you" — and it is meant to be. But the tone of the chapter is not threat; it is wedding. The picture Jesus chooses for his return is a feast, and the question is whether there will be light to go in by.

One parable a day, with the question around it

Walking with Jesus has a collection called The Parables of Jesus that takes them one a day — each with the question he was answering, a short reflection, a prayer, and one thing to carry into the day.

It is a one-time purchase, about five minutes a morning, and it never asks you to catch up on days you missed.

See everything the app does

Questions people ask

Where is the parable of the ten virgins in the Bible?: Matthew 25:1–13. Only Matthew records it, in the teaching on the Mount of Olives, between the faithful servant (Matthew 24:45–51) and the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30).
What does the oil represent in the parable of the ten virgins?: The text does not say. Common readings see faith, good works or the Holy Spirit in it, but those are interpretations. What the parable makes clear is that the oil has to be got beforehand and cannot be borrowed at the last moment.
What is the lesson of the ten virgins?: To be ready for Jesus' return, even if it takes longer than expected. The last verse sums it up: "Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:13).