New King James Version
Matthew 21:29
29He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.
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 Living Translation (NLT)The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway.
Context of Matthew 21:29
27So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
Read all of Matthew 21Matthew 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 the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
- Jeremiah 44:16“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you!
- Ephesians 4:17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
- Matthew 3:2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
- 2 Chronicles 33:10And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.
- Isaiah 1:16“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,
- Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
- Ezekiel 18:28Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
- Daniel 4:34And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
- Jonah 3:2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
- Luke 15:17“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
- Acts 26:20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
- 1 Corinthians 6:11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
- Ephesians 2:1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries