New English Translation
Matthew 20:6
6And about five o’clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’
Matthew 20:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
- New International Version (NIV)About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
- English Standard Version (ESV)And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
- New King James Version (NKJV)And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’
Context of Matthew 20:6
4He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’ 5So they went. When he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon, he did the same thing. And about five o’clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’ 8When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and give the pay starting with the last hired until the first.’
Read all of Matthew 20Matthew 20:6 word by word
περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ἐξελθὼν εὗρεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί ὧδε ἑστήκατε ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀργοί;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- aboutπερίperi · aboutG4012
- theὥραhōra · hourG5610
- eleventhἑνδέκατοςhendekatos · eleventhG1734
- he went outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
- and foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
- othersἄλλοςallos · anotherG243
- standingἵστημιhistēmi · to standG2476
- idleἀργόςargos · idleG692
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Whyτίςtis · which?G5101
- hereὧδεhōde · hereG5602
- allὅλοςholos · allG3650
- the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
Cross-references for Matthew 20:6
- Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.
- Luke 23:40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
- John 9:4We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.
- Proverbs 19:15Laziness brings on a deep sleep, and the idle person will go hungry.
- Ezekiel 16:49“‘See here – this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.
- Acts 17:21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)
- Hebrews 6:12so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.
Commentaries on Matthew 20:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Eleventh - Five o'clock in the evening, when there was only one hour before the end of the Jewish day, which, in matters of labor, closed at six.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6The eleventh hour - About five o‘clock in the afternoon, or when there was but one working hour of the day left.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-16This parable is like the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11–32). In both, God shows grace to two groups, but one complains about unfair treatment.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. And about the eleventh hour--but one hour before the close of the working day; a most unusual hour both for offering and engaging and found others standing idle, and saith, Why stand ye here all the day idle?--Of course they had not been there, or not been disposed to offer themselves at the proper time; but as they were now willing, and the day was not over, and "yet there was room," they also are engaged, and on similar terms with all the rest.Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 20:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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