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

New Living Translation
He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

English Standard Version
After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Berean Standard Bible
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

Berean Literal Bible
And having agreed with the workmen on a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

King James Bible
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

New King James Version
Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

New American Standard Bible
When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

NASB 1995
“When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

NASB 1977
“And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Amplified Bible
When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Christian Standard Bible
After agreeing with the workers on one denarius, he sent them into his vineyard for the day.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

American Standard Version
And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Contemporary English Version
After he had agreed to pay them the usual amount for a day's work, he sent them off to his vineyard.

English Revised Version
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day's wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard.

Good News Translation
He agreed to pay them the regular wage, a silver coin a day, and sent them to work in his vineyard.

International Standard Version
After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Majority Standard Bible
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

NET Bible
And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into his vineyard.

New Heart English Bible
When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Weymouth New Testament
and having made an agreement with them for a shilling a day, sent them into his vineyard.

World English Bible
When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and having agreed with the workmen for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Berean Literal Bible
And having agreed with the workmen on a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Young's Literal Translation
and having agreed with the workmen for a denary a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Smith's Literal Translation
And having agreed for a drachma a day, he sent them to his vineyard.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then, having made an agreement with the workers for one denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard.

New American Bible
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.

New Revised Standard Version
After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He bargained with the laborers for a penny a day, and sent them to his vineyard.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he made an agreement with the laborers for a denarius for the day and he sent them to his vineyard.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Godbey New Testament
And having agreed with the laborers for a denarion per day, sent them into his vineyard.

Haweis New Testament
And when he had agreed with the labourers at a denarius a day, he sent them into the vineyard.

Mace New Testament
having agreed with them for a penny a day, he sent them to his vineyard.

Weymouth New Testament
and having made an agreement with them for a shilling a day, sent them into his vineyard.

Worrell New Testament
and, having agreed with the laborers for a denary a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Worsley New Testament
and agreeing with the men for a penny a day, he sent them into 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. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.…

Cross References
Matthew 18:28
But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

Luke 10:7
Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

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 24:14-15
Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. / 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.

James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

1 Timothy 5:18
For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”

Exodus 22:21
You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Colossians 4:1
Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. / Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.

Jeremiah 22:13
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,

Luke 15:19
I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

Romans 4:4
Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.

Genesis 29:15
Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

Job 7:1-2
“Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand? / Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hireling he waits for his wages.


Treasury of Scripture

And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

he had.

Matthew 20:13
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

Exodus 19:5,6
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: …

Deuteronomy 5:27-30
Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it

a penny.

Matthew 18:28
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

Matthew 22:19
Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

Luke 10:35
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

he sent.

1 Samuel 2:18,26
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod…

1 Samuel 3:1,21
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision…

1 Samuel 16:11,12
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither…

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Agreed Agreement Denarius Denary Laborers Pay Penny Shilling Vine-Garden Vineyard Workmen
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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.














He agreed
The Greek word used here is "συμφωνέω" (symphōneō), which means to come to a mutual agreement or to be in harmony. This term implies a consensual and deliberate decision between the landowner and the laborers. In the context of the parable, it reflects the fairness and justice of God, who enters into a covenant with His people. The agreement signifies a divine promise, echoing the covenants made throughout the Old Testament, where God faithfully commits to His people.

to pay them
The phrase indicates a transaction or a reward for services rendered. In the biblical context, this payment symbolizes the rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a reminder that God is just and will reward each according to His divine plan. The concept of payment also reflects the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, where one's labor in the Lord is never in vain.

a denarius
A denarius was a common Roman silver coin that was typically the daily wage for a laborer or soldier. This specific amount highlights the sufficiency and adequacy of God's provision. In the parable, the denarius represents the grace of God, which is equally available to all, regardless of the time or effort invested. It underscores the theme of divine generosity and equality in the Kingdom of Heaven.

for the day
This phrase emphasizes the temporal nature of human labor and the urgency of working while it is still day, as Jesus often taught. It serves as a metaphor for the limited time we have to serve God on earth. The "day" can also be seen as a symbol of the present age, urging believers to be diligent and faithful in their service to God, knowing that the night is coming when no one can work.

and sent them into his vineyard
The vineyard is a recurring biblical symbol for Israel and, by extension, the Kingdom of God. It represents the place of God's work and His divine mission. By sending the laborers into His vineyard, the landowner (symbolizing God) is inviting them to participate in His redemptive work. This phrase calls believers to active participation in God's mission, reminding them that they are co-laborers with Christ in the work of the Gospel. The vineyard is a place of growth, fruitfulness, and divine purpose, where each believer is called to contribute to the harvest.

(2) A penny a day.--Measured by its weight, the "penny--i.e., the Roman denarius, then the common standard of value in Palestine--was, as nearly as possible, sevenpence-halfpenny of our coinage. Its real equivalent, however, is to be found in its purchasing power, and, as the average price of the unskilled labour of the tiller of the soil, it may fairly be reckoned as equal to about half-a-crown of our present currency. It was, that is, in itself, an adequate and just payment.

Verse 2. - When he had agreed with the labourers. With those first hired he makes a special agreement for the pay of the day's work; with the others he acts differently. For a penny a day (ἐκ ηηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν). The denarius (always translated "a penny" in our version) was a silver coin about equal in value to the French franc, but of course in its buying capacities worth in those days a great deal more. We learn from Tacitus ('Annal.,' 1:17) that it was the usual pay of a Roman soldier. It was equivalent to the Greek drachma, which Tobit (5:14) offered to Azarias as daily wages. Our rendering of "a penny" conveys a very erroneous impression to unlearned hearers, both in this passage and in other places where it occurs.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
He agreed
συμφωνήσας (symphōnēsas)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4856: To agree with, harmonize with, agree together. From sumphonos; to be harmonious, i.e. to accord or stipulate.

[to pay]
μετὰ (meta)
Preposition
Strong's 3326: (a) gen: with, in company with, (b) acc: (1) behind, beyond, after, of place, (2) after, of time, with nouns, neut. of adjectives.

[them]
ἐργατῶν (ergatōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 2040: A field-laborer; then: a laborer, workman in general. From ergon; a toiler; figuratively, a teacher.

a denarius
δηναρίου (dēnariou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 1220: A denarius, a small Roman silver coin. Of Latin origin; a denarius.

for
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative 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.

day
ἡμέραν (hēmeran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

[and] sent
ἀπέστειλεν (apesteilen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 649: From apo and stello; set apart, i.e. to send out literally or figuratively.

them
αὐτοὺς (autous)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 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.

into
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 20:2 When he had agreed with the laborers (Matt. Mat Mt)
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