Paragraph 22:11–13

22:11a

But: There is a contrast between the successful start of the wedding and the presence of one of the guests. The English Standard Version indicates this contrast with the word But. Some English versions begin this paragraph without the conjunction But. For example:

When the king came in to see the guests (New Century Version)

when the king came in to look at the guests: The Greek verb that the English Standard Version translates as look at indicates that the king came to inspect the people at the wedding.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

when the king went in to inspect the guests
-or-
When the king went in to meet the guests (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
when the king entered to greet the guests
-or-
Later when the king came to talk with the guests

the guests: The word guests refers to the people who came to the wedding. It is the same word as in 22:10d.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the people (Easy English Bible)

22:11b

he saw there: The word there refers to the inside of the wedding hall.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

he noticed among them (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
he found (Contemporary English Version)

a man who had no wedding garment: The Greek phrase that the Revised Standard Version translates as wedding garment probably refers to clothing that was suitable to wear to a wedding. Here it probably refers to nice, clean clothes. This phrase probably does not refer to special clothes intended for weddings.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding (New Living Translation (2004))

-or-

one of them wasn’t wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding (Contemporary English Version)

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