Matthew 20:8
New International Version
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

New Living Translation
“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.

English Standard Version
And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’

Berean Standard Bible
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

Berean Literal Bible
And evening having arrived, the master of the vineyard says to his foreman, 'Call the workmen and pay them the wages, having begun from the last, up to the first.'

King James Bible
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

New King James Version
“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’

New American Standard Bible
“Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, starting with the last group to the first.’

NASB 1995
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’

NASB 1977
“And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’

Amplified Bible
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last [to be hired] and ending with the first [to be hired].’

Christian Standard Bible
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’

American Standard Version
And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But when it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his custodian, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, and start from the last ones up to the first ones.'

Contemporary English Version
That evening the owner of the vineyard told the man in charge of the workers to call them in and give them their money. He also told the man to begin with the ones who were hired last.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.

English Revised Version
And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, 'Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.'

Good News Translation
"When evening came, the owner told his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with those who were hired last and ending with those who were hired first.'

International Standard Version
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, 'Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'

Literal Standard Version
And evening having come, the lord of the vineyard says to his steward, Call the workmen, and pay them the reward, having begun from the last—to the first.

Majority Standard Bible
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

New American Bible
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

NET Bible
When 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.'

New Revised Standard Version
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’

New Heart English Bible
When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.'

Webster's Bible Translation
So when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first.

Weymouth New Testament
"When evening came, the master said to his steward, "'Call the men and pay them their wages. Begin with the last set and finish with the first.'

World English Bible
“When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’

Young's Literal Translation
'And evening having come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward, Call the workmen, and pay them the reward, having begun from the last -- unto the first.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of the Workers
7‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’ 8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’ 9The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.…

Cross References
Leviticus 19:13
You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.

Deuteronomy 24:15
You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Matthew 20:7
Because no one has hired us,' they answered. So he told them, 'You also go into my vineyard.'

Matthew 20:9
The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.

Luke 8:3
Joanna the wife of Herod's household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.


Treasury of Scripture

So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first.

when.

Matthew 13:39,40
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels…

Matthew 25:19,31
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them…

Romans 2:6-10
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: …

unto.

Genesis 15:2
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Genesis 39:4-6
And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand…

Genesis 43:19
And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

Jump to Previous
Begin Beginning Evening Finish First Foreman Group Hire Hired Laborers Manager Master Ones Owner Pay Steward Vine-Garden Vineyard Wages Workers Workmen
Jump to Next
Begin Beginning Evening Finish First Foreman Group Hire Hired Laborers Manager Master Ones Owner Pay Steward Vine-Garden Vineyard Wages Workers Workmen
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.














(8) When even was come.--It was one of the humane rules of the Mosaic law that the day-labourer was to be paid by the day, and not made to wait for his wages (Deuteronomy 24:15). This law the householder keeps, and his doing so is a feature in his character.

Beginning from the last unto the first.--The order is not without its significance. It was a practical illustration of the words which had introduced the parable, that the last should be the first.

Verse 8. - When even was come. According to Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 24:15), a hired labourer was to be paid his wages at sunset, i.e. at the twelfth hour. Steward. The lord himself is said to have hired the labourers, but he commits the payment of them to his steward, as his representative, to whom such matters of detail were entrusted. From the last. Those last hired were first to receive their hire (τὸν μισθόν), that which it had been agreed to pay them, in one case "a penny," in the others "that which was just." Why the last are rewarded first is one of the difficulties of the parable. To say that this is done because in their one hour's work they did more than all the rest, is a solution which is supported by nothing in the story itself. It should, in the primary interpretation, rather be conceived as depending on the lord's good pleasure.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
When
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

evening
Ὀψίας (Opsias)
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3798: Late, evening. From opse; late; feminine afternoon or nightfall.

came,
γενομένης (genomenēs)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

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

owner
κύριος (kyrios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

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

vineyard
ἀμπελῶνος (ampelōnos)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 290: A vineyard. From ampelos; a vineyard.

said
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

to
τῷ (tō)
Article - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

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.

foreman,
ἐπιτρόπῳ (epitropō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2012: From epi and tropos; a commissioner, i.e. Domestic manager, guardian.

‘Call
Κάλεσον (Kaleson)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2564: (a) I call, summon, invite, (b) I call, name. Akin to the base of keleuo; to 'call'.

the
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative 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.

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.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

pay
ἀπόδος (apodos)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 591: From apo and didomi; to give away, i.e. Up, over, back, etc.

them
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
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.

[their]
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

wages,
μισθόν (misthon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3408: (a) pay, wages, salary, (b) reward, recompense, punishment. Apparently a primary word; pay for service, good or bad.

starting
ἀρξάμενος (arxamenos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 756: To begin. Middle voice of archo; to commence.

with
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

the
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.

last [ones hired]
ἐσχάτων (eschatōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 2078: Last, at the last, finally, till the end. A superlative probably from echo; farthest, final.

and moving on
ἕως (heōs)
Preposition
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

to the
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.

first.�
πρώτων (prōtōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4413: First, before, principal, most important. Contracted superlative of pro; foremost.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 20:8 When evening had come the lord (Matt. Mat Mt)
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