Matthew 20:1
New International Version
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

New Living Translation
“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

English Standard Version
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Berean Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Berean Literal Bible
For the kingdom of the heavens is like to a man, a master of a house, who went out in the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard.

King James Bible
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

New King James Version
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

New American Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

NASB 1995
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

NASB 1977
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Legacy Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Amplified Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of an estate who went out in the morning at dawn to hire workmen for his vineyard.

Christian Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

American Standard Version
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the man, the lord of a household, who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Contemporary English Version
As Jesus was telling what the kingdom of heaven would be like, he said: Early one morning a man went out to hire some workers for his vineyard.

Douay-Rheims Bible
THE kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

English Revised Version
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard.

Good News Translation
"The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a man who went out early in the morning to hire some men to work in his vineyard.

International Standard Version
"The kingdom from heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Literal Standard Version
“For the kingdom of the heavens is like to a man, a householder, who went forth with the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard,

Majority Standard Bible
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

New American Bible
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

NET Bible
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

New Revised Standard Version
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

New Heart English Bible
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

Weymouth New Testament
"For the Kingdom of the Heavens is like an employer who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard,

World English Bible
“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Young's Literal Translation
'For the reign of the heavens is like to a man, a householder, who went forth with the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of the Workers
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.…

Cross References
Matthew 9:37
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Matthew 13:24
Jesus put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Matthew 20:2
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

Matthew 21:28
But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'

Matthew 21:33
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.


Treasury of Scripture

For the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

the kingdom.

Matthew 3:2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 13:24,31,33,44,45,47
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: …

Matthew 22:2
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

a man.

Matthew 9:37,38
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; …

Matthew 21:33-43
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: …

Song of Solomon 8:11,12
Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver…

early.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Song of Solomon 8:11,12
Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver…

Jeremiah 25:3,4
From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened…

labourers.

Mark 13:34
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Hebrews 13:21
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Matthew 20
1. Jesus, by the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, shows that God is debtor unto no man;
17. foretells his passion;
20. by answering the mother of Zebedee's children, teaches his disciples to be humble;
29. and gives two blind men their sight.














XX.

(1) For the kingdom.--The division of the chapter is here singularly unfortunate, as separating the parable both from the events which gave occasion to it and from the teaching which it illustrates. It is not too much to say that we can scarcely understand it at all unless we connect it with the history of the young ruler who had great possessions, and the claims which the disciples had made for themselves when they contrasted their readiness with his reluctance.

To hire labourers into his vineyard.--The framework of the parable brings before us a form of labour in some respects lower than that of the "servants," or "slaves," who formed part of the household, and had been bought or born to their position. The labourers here are the "hired servants" of Luke 15:17, engaged for a time only, and paid by the day. Interpreting the parable, we may see in the householder our Lord Himself. It was indeed a title which He seems to have, as it were, delighted in, and which He applies directly to Himself in Matthew 10:25; Matthew 13:27; Matthew 13:52. And the "vineyard" is primarily, as in Isaiah 5:1, the house of Israel, which the Anointed of the Lord had come to claim as His kingdom. The "early morning" answered accordingly to the beginning of our Lord's ministry; the "labourers" He then called were the disciples whom, at the outset of His ministry, He had summoned to follow Him. He had promised them a reward. Though at the best they were unprofitable servants, He yet offered them wages, and the wages were the kingdom of heaven itself (Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:10); in other words, "righteousness, and peace, and joy;" in other words, yet again, "eternal life, seeing and knowing God" (Matthew 5:8; John 17:3). We may trace, I believe, something of a subtle and peculiar fitness in our Lord's choice of this form of labour, as distinct, on the one side, from free and willing service, and, on the other, from the task-work of slaves. It was not in itself the best or most adequate symbol of the relation of the disciples to their Lord, but as their question, "What shall we have, therefore?" implies, it was that on which their minds were dwelling, and therefore He chose it, adapting Himself so far to their weakness, that He might teach them the lesson which they needed. . . .

Verses 1-16. - Parable of the labourers in the vineyard. (Peculiar to St. Matthew.) Verse 1. - For. The following parable is intended to illustrate the apophthegm at the end of the last chapter, which is repeated almost in the same words at the close, "Many that are first," etc., and "The last shall be first," etc. It taught the apostles a lesson in answer to Peter's question (Matthew 19:27), "What shall we have therefore?" and the primary lesson was that the reward of the kingdom is not of debt, but of grace. There are many difficulties in the parable, which may be better noticed after we have expounded its literal bearing and details. The kingdom of heaven is like. That is, what happens in the kingdom of heaven is parallel to the case of a householder, etc. The kingdom of heaven is the Church of Christ, whether militant on earth (when the labourers are hired) or triumphant in heaven (when the reward is bestowed). We may refer to Matthew 13:24, 45, where an analogous comparison is found. Early in the morning (ἅμα πρωί); i.e. at the end of the last night watch (see on ver. 3), wishing to secure labourers, who at vintage time were probably in great request. Vineyard. The Church is elsewhere so called by our Lord (Matthew 21:28, 33, etc.), and in the Old Testament (see Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:1; Jeremiah 12:10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γάρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

kingdom
βασιλεία (basileia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 932: From basileus; properly, royalty, i.e. rule, or a realm.

of
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

heaven
οὐρανῶν (ouranōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

like
Ὁμοία (Homoia)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3664: Like, similar to, resembling, of equal rank. From the base of homou; similar.

a landowner
οἰκοδεσπότῃ (oikodespotē)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3617: A head of a household. From oikos and despotes; the head of a family.

who
ὅστις (hostis)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3748: Whosoever, whichsoever, whatsoever.

went out
ἐξῆλθεν (exēlthen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1831: To go out, come out. From ek and erchomai; to issue.

early in
ἅμα (hama)
Preposition
Strong's 260: A primary particle; properly, at the 'same' time, but freely used as a preposition or adverb denoting close association.

[the] morning
πρωῒ (prōi)
Adverb
Strong's 4404: Early in the morning, at dawn. Adverb from pro; at dawn; by implication, the day-break watch.

to hire
μισθώσασθαι (misthōsasthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's 3409: To hire out, mid: I hire, engage. From misthos; to let out for wages, i.e. to hire.

workers
ἐργάτας (ergatas)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2040: A field-laborer; then: a laborer, workman in general. From ergon; a toiler; figuratively, a teacher.

for
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

vineyard.
ἀμπελῶνα (ampelōna)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 290: A vineyard. From ampelos; a vineyard.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 20:1 For the Kingdom of Heaven is like (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 19:30
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