The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The fury of the king isn't just personal anger; the word for "armies" implies troops acting as instruments of judgment, fulfilling a divine purpose against those who rejected his invitation with violence. This wasn't just a king retaliating, but a powerful picture of God's justice unleashed upon those who not only refused but brutally murdered his messengers.
The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this parable, Jesus is explaining the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to a royal wedding feast. After the invited guests refuse to come and even kill the king's messengers, the king retaliates. This verse describes the king sending his troops to destroy the murderers and burn their city, which Jesus intended as a prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction by the Roman army.
When Jesus describes the king's reaction, the word 'wroth' (or angry) is used. But what does this divine anger truly signify in this context?
The king's anger isn't just a human emotional outburst. It represents God's righteous and holy opposition to sin and rebellion.
The king doesn't go himself; he sends his 'armies.' What does this detail reveal about how God carries out His justice?
The 'armies' mentioned are not merely a generic force but specific historical instruments of God's judgment.
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Understand the original words
phoneis · Greek Noun
A person who commits the unlawful killing of another. Spiritually, it denotes those who actively oppose God's purpose and reject His messengers.
This parable vividly foretells the catastrophic judgment that fell upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants for rejecting God's Son and His messengers, underscoring the severe consequences of refusing divine invitations.
c. 4 BC
Herod the Great Dies
The death of Herod the Great, a powerful client king of Rome, creates a power vacuum and unrest in Judea, setting the stage for increased Roman involvement.
c. AD 6
Judea Becomes a Roman Province
After the deposition of Herod Archelaus, Judea is directly incorporated into the Roman Empire as a province, placing it under direct Roman governance and taxation.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus, the Son of the King in the parable, is rejected and crucified by the Jewish leadership and people in Jerusalem.
c. AD 33 - AD 66
Early Church Evangelism
Following Jesus' resurrection and ascension, the apostles and early followers begin evangelizing, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, extending the invitation to the 'wedding feast'.
AD 66
Jewish Revolt Begins
The Jewish people begin a major revolt against Roman rule, escalating tensions and leading to a brutal response from the empire.
AD 70— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Roman army, led by Titus, besieges and utterly destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy and the judgment described in the parable.
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, foretelling its destruction and the desolate state of the temple, directly paralleling the judgment described in Matthew 22:7.
Isaiah 10:5-6This passage describes Assyria as an instrument of God's wrath, similar to how the Roman armies are portrayed as God's 'armies' sent to execute judgment in Matthew 22:7.
Jeremiah 7:12-15Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple due to Israel's sin and rebellion, echoing the divine judgment depicted in the parable.
Revelation 18:1-19The judgment upon the symbolic 'great city' in Revelation, with its destruction and burning, powerfully parallels the fate of the rebellious city in the parable.
vincentMatthew 22:7: "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."
Armies (στρατεύματα)Not in our grand sense of armies, but troops, soldiers. Compare Luke 23:11, where the word is rendered men of war; Rev., soldiers.
barnesMatthew 22:7: "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."
But when the king heard ... - This doubtless refers to the Jews and to Jerusalem. They were murderers, having slain the prophets; and God was about to send forth the armies of the Romans under his providential direction, and to burn up their city. See the notes at Matthew 24 . Wroth - Angry; displeased.
The fury of the king isn't just personal anger; the word for "armies" implies troops acting as instruments of judgment, fulfilling a divine purpose against those who rejected his invitation with violence. This wasn't just a king retaliating, but a powerful picture of God's justice unleashed upon those who not only refused but brutally murdered his messengers.
In this parable, Jesus is explaining the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to a royal wedding feast. After the invited guests refuse to come and even kill the king's messengers, the king retaliates. This verse describes the king sending his troops to destroy the murderers and burn their city, which Jesus intended as a prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction by the Roman army.
In this parable, Jesus is explaining the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to a royal wedding feast. After the invited guests refuse to come and even kill the king's messengers, the king retaliates. This verse describes the king sending his troops to destroy the murderers and burn their city, which Jesus intended as a prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction by the Roman army.
"The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city." — The fury of the king isn't just personal anger; the word for "armies" implies troops acting as instruments of judgment, fulfilling a divine purpose against those who rejected his invitation with viol…
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Last reviewed October 2026