The Latin word "separo" ≈ "separate" and is the source of the English word "separate" and comes from "se" ≈ "apart" and "paro" ≈ "prepare". The Latin word "segregar" ≈ "segregate, secrete" and is the source of the English word "segregate".

In the parable of the sheep and goats, the "nations" are separated. What is a "nation" in this context? Are these "nations" that are divided or "people" being divided?

The idea of "nations" in the modern sense was not present in ancient times. The idea was more of a group of people sharing a similar background and having similar goals.

• The modern Greek word "έθνος" (EHTH-nos) ≈ "nation" and is the origin of English words such as "ethnic", "ethnicity", etc.

For the time being, it will be assumed that the "nations" refers to all "peoples" of all "nations". It part, how to define a "nation" is not clear but how to define a "person" is more clear.

The ancient Greek word "πρόβατα" ≈ "sheep" and comes from the literal words "before" and "walk". Sheep have a tendency to "walk before" or "wander away".
The ancient Greek word "ἔριφος" ≈ "kid, young goat" and is not the usual Greek word for goat. This word is used in the prodigal son banquet and the goat killed to dip Joseph's coat in blood. The idea of "kid goats" not being "mature goats" may be important.

The modern Greek word "προ" (pro) ≈ "going before".

The modern Greek word "βαίνω" (VEH-no) ≈ "walk, step".

The modern Greek word "ακροβάτης" (a-kro-VA-tees) ≈ "walking on tiptoe, climbing aloft".

The modern Greek word "πρόβατα" (PRO-va-ta) ≈ "sheep".

In reality, "sheep" are selective in what they will eat while "goats" will eat most anything. The modern Greek word "τράγος" (TRA-gos) ≈ "goat, billy goat", as an extension of the generic word for "goat", and is the source of the modern Greek word for song, "τραγούδι" (tra-GU-thee) ≈ "song" which is, literally, a "goat song" (or a "goat singer song").

In the sports field, the acronym GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is used to describe who some think is the "greatest" is some "sport" in some "role" through the history of that sport.

The GOAT label can be used to get most sports fans discussing and arguing over their opinions.

The Greek word used for "goat" is not the common word for goat.

• The modern Greek word "αίγα" (EH-ga) ≈ "goat".
• The modern Greek word "κατσίκα" (ka-TSEE-ka) ≈ "goat, nanny goat".
• The modern Greek word "τράγος" (TRA-gos) ≈ "goat, billy goat", as an extension of the generic word for "goat", and is the source of the modern Greek word for song, "τραγούδι" (tra-GU-thee) ≈ "song" which is, literally, a "goat song" (or a "goat singer song").

The modern Greek word used in this verse is the modern Greek word "εριφίον" (eh-ree-FEE-on) ≈ "young goat, kid goat". That is, a "goat" that is not mature.

This type of "kid goat" appears in the parable of the "desolate son", the "prodigal son", the "two brothers", the "ever forgiving father", or some other name.

The idea that it is very important to have "friends" was a main tenet of the Greek philosopher Epicurus whose ideas, not from the Bible, are still heard in sermons at many churches today.

Details are left as a future topic.

At the time that Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, they used a kid goat to make it appear as Joseph had been killed.

The "coat of many colors" is a translation issue. It comes from the LXX and the association of the word for variegated with a porch in Athens used by the Stoics that also had many colors. Paul addressed both the Stoics and the Epicureans at that porch.

More: A coat of paint for porch pictures

The terms "left" and "right" can be ambiguous depending on point of view.

• Theater: stage right or stage left from the point of view of the performer on the stage facing the audience.
• Sailing: starboard (right) or port (left) from the point of view of being on the ship and looking to the front or bow of the ship. The color of the lights is important.

Is there anyone who is not a "sheep" and not a "goat"? Are the goats "weeds" or "chaff"?

• Mutually exclusive means that no person can be on both sides. There is no non-empty intersection of the two groups.
• Collectively exhaustive means that each person is included in the division. There is nothing outside of these two groups.

Jesus explains the kingdom parables 1 (sower), 2 (wheat and tares) and 7 (nets from the sea). In parables 2 and 7 there appear to be those who are neither sheep nor goats.

The parable of the "sheep" and "goats" appears to be by Jesus as God and King and not by the "angels".

• The Greek for "offend" has to do with "misunderstanding" what Jesus said and meant.
• The Greek for "iniquity" has to do with those who go "against the laws" of God (love God, love neighbor as yourself).

The parable of the "sheep" and "goats" appears to be by Jesus as God and King and not by the "angels". The "angels" are agents or work for Jesus as God and King.
The "sever" is the same Greek word as used for "separate" and "divide" in the parable of the "sheep" and "goats".

The ancient Greek word "ἀφορίζω" ≈ "mark off a boundary, distinguish, separate".

Jesus now announces his decisions and provides reasons for the decision to each of the "sheep" on the "right" and the "goats" on the "left".


Jesus addresses the "sheep" on the "right" as "righteous" explaining the good news (verses 35-36).


Each of these words will be covered after the parable verses are covered.

The "sheep" are somewhat surprised at the reasoning (verses 37-39). Did they think that they had not done any of those things?


Jesus answers in verse 40.


Who are the "least of these" my "brethren"?

Jesus then addresses the "goats" on the "left" and provides reasons.


How many churches do not mention "fire", the "devil", the "angels" who do the work of the devil, etc.?

Discuss: If Jesus (often) talks of "hell" and "fire", are churches who do not mention this keeping Jesus out of their church? In Revelation, Jesus is asking to be let in to the end times apostate church of Laodicea but the door is not opened for Him.

The "goats" are surprised at the reasoning. It appears they thought they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. Jesus then provides the reasoning.


Who are the "lest of these"? The word "brethren" is not used here.

To the sheep: (good news). The "my brethren" is added for the "sheep".

The ancient Greek word "ἀδελφός" ≈ "brother, male sibling" and comes from the Greek word parts that mean, literally, "same womb". The ancient Greek word "δελφύς" ≈ "womb" and is related to the word "Delphi" as in the "Oracle at Delphi".

To the goats: (bad news). The "my brethren" is not present for the (young) "goats".

How these words are defined and how the conditions are handled may be important to the meaning.

Jesus then announces the punishment/recompense for the "goats" and the reward for the "sheep" on the "right" as the "righteous".


In the kingdom parables 2 and 7, the "angles" "burn" those who appear to be neither "sheep" nor "goats".

Here, in the parable of the "sheep" and "goats", Jesus as God and King sends the "goats" to "everlasting" "punishment".

Discuss: Does "everlasting punishment" require some form of "consciousness"? Is this the same as the kingdom parables 2 and 7 as being "burned" in the "fire"?

Are these six conditions the only conditions that matter for inheriting the kingdom or being eternally damned?
Here are some other conditions to consider.

Exercise: List some other conditions that might be important.

The following appear to be stated.

• The "sheep" (think they) have not addressed these conditions. Some are surprised at the good result as they did not know how they had met all six conditions (or at least some of them).
• The "goats" (think they) have addressed these conditions. Some are surprised at the bad result as they thought they had met all six conditions (or at least some of them).

Does this make sense?

h=hungry t=thirsty s=stranger n=naked w=weak p=prison
Of the 6 conditions, there are 2⁶ = 64 ways (i.e., subsets) to do these things.

• ...... 1 case: No conditions met. Some are surprised at the result.
• htsnwp 1 case: All conditions met. Some are surprised at the result.
• 62 other possibilities (some of them)

Does this make sense?

• Which combinations of ways are sufficient to "inherit the kingdom"?
• What combinations are not sufficient?
• Is there some quality of what has been done?
• Is it all or nothing?
• Some sheep appear puzzled as they think they have done all of these.
• Some goats appear puzzled as they think they have not done any of these.

There are some dilemmas in the parable of the sheep and goats - if a literal interpretation is followed. Perhaps the meaning is more than literal.


As with other teachings of Jesus, your model may combine parts of literal and parts of figurative explanations - where in many cases both can be true.

The corresponding word for a young sheep is the modern Greek word "αμνός" (a-MNOS) ≈ "lamb" as in the lamb. This is not the word used for sheep in this parable.

Might a contrast be made between the "lamb of God" and his "sheep" and the "kid goats of the world"?

It is unclear if there is any connection here to the "scapegoat" or the "goat that escaped".

More: Calque: The goat that escaped

Does one need to "seek righteousness", as in "hunger" and "thirst" for "righteousness", before one can convey it to others?

The Greek word for "took me in" is the word for "synagogue" or that of "coming together". Have you invited anyone to church or introduced them to Jesus Christ?

Does one need to "clothe" oneself in "righteousness" so one is not "naked" and without a "righteous" gown?

Jesus uses the word for "sick" as those who are fallen and need the "Good News". The Greek word for "visited" is the basis of the word "bishop" as a sheep dog going around and keeping the sheep in line.

Does one need to recognize that they are in "captivity" of the world and spiritually "weak" without Jesus (or his "brethren") coming to them or "visiting" them?

One resolution of the parable of the sheep and goats is to somehow use figurative meanings for the conditions such that all six conditions together map to one of two or three results. One side is good. One side not good. How might we do this?

In general, this is reducing the dimensionality of the problem space. The "least of these" criteria needs to handle the six conditions (reduced) and the "my brethren" part of the "sheep" judgment and the not present "my brethren" in the "goats" judgment. The conditions will be grouped into three groups of two (dimensionality reduction).

The common figurative theme in all six conditions, and the three groups above, is that they are related to being righteous and seeking righteousness on a continual basis.

Here now is an extended high-level summary of the dilemma resolution for the parable of the sheep and goats.

The "poor" usually refers to the "poor in spirit" that need the "Good News" (the Greek words used) preached to them.

The sheep and goats refer to people. The Greek word used here can be translated as "nations" but is often translated as the "people" of a given "nation" or "nations".

The "least of these" is a reflexive reference to yourself first and then to others (in the same sense). In Hebrew poetry style, the six conditions are in pairs and should be taken figuratively as used elsewhere in scripture (in the same pairs) and not literally (which results in many logical contradictions).

1. The pair "hungry" and "thirsty" refers to a realizing that one needs to "ask" for the opportunity to be filled with righteousness, as in the third Beatitude. Ask and it shall be given you.

2. The pair "stranger/guest" and "naked/clothed" refers to "seeking" and finding that faith and clothing for righteousness as a guest for the banquet, as in the parable earlier in Matthew. Seek and you shall find.

3. The pair "weak/sick" and "prison/captive/confined" refers to "knocking" by putting that faith and righteousness into action as works, finding and helping others who are in step 1 or 2 of this process, as in the parable of the talents, which is immediately before this parable. Knock and it shall be opened to you.

Before this can happen, you need to respond to that "knock" from Jesus or a representative of Jesus.

If the "least of these my brethren" is taken reflexively, then the "sheep" and the "goats" need to look at themselves first and then to others.

• The "sheep" have continually sought righteousness and those aspects that go with it, first for themselves and then for others (as fruit). They inherit the place made for them (a nice place).
• The "goats" have not even sought attaining righteousness for themselves let alone for others, and may have made efforts to become "thistles" to impede "fruit" elsewhere. They go to a place made for them (not a nice place).

The "reflexive" relationship appears in the "workers" and the "harvest" where the "workers" are also the "harvest" by the "angels".

Paul says in Philippians that once things are worked out inside, they should be worked to the outside. Paul makes this more clear a few verses later. The "work out" is not the contemporary English "work out" as in "decide how to do something" but the KJV way of translating the Greek which says to "bring your salvation from inside you as faith to outside of you as works".

Alan Kay had some interesting ideas about how to get children to program computers.

• Hear it, you forget it (symbols, facts and logic stage, adults).
• See it, you remember it (images, visual stage, teenagers).
• Do it, you understand it (doing, muscular stage, children).

Kay's goal was to make a computer so easy to use a child could use it. Then, maybe, adults could do it too.

Kay's work in the 1970's directly resulted in the Apple Macintosh computer, the one button mouse (it is hard for children to separate left and right), icons and windows in a graphical desktop, etc.

More: Alan Kay

Benjamin Franklin: Tell me. I forget. Teach me. I remember. Involve me. I learn.

Interestingly, this idea had been stated thousands of years before.


Jesus, Paul, etc., used the word for a "child" to refer to believers (of all ages).

More: Matthew 18:2-11 Great children trapped in the middle

If the "least of these my brethren" is taken reflexively, then the "sheep" and the "goats" need to look at themselves first (reflexively) and then to others. Following Alan Kay's results, one way to follow the advice of Jesus is as follows.

• Ask: Start at the "thinking" stage (think and then ask and it shall be given).
• Seek: Go to the "visual" stage (look for and seek and it shall be found).
• Knock: Finish at the "doing" stage (take action and knock and it shall be opened).

The same progression appears to work for understanding programming and using computers and for accomplishing in the "kingdom of heaven" what is needed to enter the "kingdom of God".

More: Matthew 6: Seek to eat , drink and be married to Jesus

More: Matthew 11:12-14 Exploring the Kingdom of Heaven

In the parable of the talents, immediately before the sheep and goat parable, there are various levels of "fruit" that are rewarded. Those two appear to be "sheep".

The one who does nothing with his talent, not even investing it for interest, has that taken away and loses even what he has. That one appears to be a "goat".

Details are left as a future topic.

The induction base stage is the reflexive relation of the self, which was jump-started by Jesus himself, and continues with others as the "Good News" is spread.

• The "sheep" have continually sought righteousness and those aspects that go with it, first for themselves and then for others (as fruit). They inherit the place made for them (a nice place).
• The "goats" have not even sought attaining righteousness for themselves let alone for others, and, in some cases, have made efforts to become "thistles" or "weeds" to impede "fruit" elsewhere. They go to a place made for them (not a nice place).

There is nothing necessarily wrong with the literal interpretation about hungry, thirsty, etc., but to avoid logical contractions and interpretations that do not make sense, the above appears to be one way to resolve some of the issues.

Exercise: In this chapter, go back to the parables of the ten virgins and talents. In each, which appear to be "sheep" and which appear to be "goats".