“As the bridegroom
Was delayed,
All of them
Became drowsy.
They slept.”
χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου ἐνύσταξαν πᾶσαι καὶ ἐκάθευδον
This parable story is unique to Matthew. Jesus said that the bridegroom was delayed (χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου) in coming to pick up the bride. Thus, both the foolish and the wise bridesmaids became drowsy (ἐνύσταξαν πᾶσαι) and fell asleep (καὶ ἐκάθευδον). All of these bridesmaids were tired of waiting for the bridegroom to come, so that they all fell asleep.
“Whoever teaches a fool is
Like one who glues potsherds together.
Whoever teaches a fool is
Like one who rouses a sleeper
From deep slumber.
Whoever tells a story to a fool
Tells it to a drowsy man.
At the end
He will say.
‘What is it?’”
Sirach says that whoever tries to teach a fool is like one trying to glue pieces of a broken pottery jar back together. Potsherds are broken pottery pieces. Thus this task would be like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Teaching a fool is like trying to wake someone up from a deep sleep. Even telling a story is useless, because the fool is like a half-asleep drowsy person who says at the end of the story, “What was that again?” Basically, trying to teach a fool is a waste of time. However, it is not totally impossible, but extremely difficult and challenging.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 