Matthew 21:29

Matthew 21:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.

Context of Matthew 21:29

27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 28“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ The boy answered, ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went. 30The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 31Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

Matthew 21:29 word by word

ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐ θέλω· ὕστερον δὲ μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπῆλθεν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·δέde · thenG1161
• He answeredὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• He answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• and saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• I willθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• notοὐou · noG3756
• afterwardὕστερονhusteron · laterG5305
• he repentedμεταμέλλομαιmetamellomai · to repentG3338
• and wentἀπέρχομαιaperchomai · to go awayG565

Cross-references for Matthew 21:29

• Matthew 21:31Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!
• Jeremiah 44:16“We will not listen to what you claim the Lord has spoken to us!
• Ephesians 4:17So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
• Matthew 3:2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
• 2 Chronicles 33:10The Lord confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
• Isaiah 1:16Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning!
• Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby!
• Ezekiel 18:28Because he considered and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die.
• Daniel 4:34But at the end of the appointed time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me. I extolled the Most High, and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever. For his authority is an everlasting authority, and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.
• Jonah 3:2“Go immediately to Nineveh, that large city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”
• Luke 15:17But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!
• Acts 26:20but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.
• 1 Corinthians 6:11Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
• Ephesians 2:1And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

Commentaries on Matthew 21:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29I will not - This is the general reply of every sinner to the invitations of God; and, in it, the Most High is treated without ceremony or respect. They only are safe who persist not in the denial.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28-32Verses 28-32 But what think ye? - A way of speaking designed to direct them particularly to what he was saying, that they might be self-convicted. Two sons - By those two sons our Lord intends to represent the conduct of the Jews, and that of the publicans and sinners. In my vineyard - See the notes at Matthew 21:33. To work in the vineyard here represents the work which God requires man to do. I will not - This had been the language of the publicans and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 28-32Verses 28-32 Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 29I will not: This response must have offended Jews who learned from a young age to show respect for the authority of a father (see Matthew 8:21–22).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2929. He answered and said, I will not--Trench notices the rudeness of this answer, and the total absence of any attempt to excuse such disobedience, both characteristic; representing careless, reckless sinners resisting God to His face.Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 21:29

• Ecclesiasticism
• Hypocrisy
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Repentance
• Reproof
• Vineyard
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Authority
• Daughter
• Grind
• Loose
• Move
• Presently
• Reverence
• Seat
• Thief
• Jesus Christ

Commentaries on Matthew 21

• 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