‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way.
- KJV And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
- NKJV and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.
- NASB and to those he said, ‘You go into the vineyard also, and whatever is right, I will give you.’ And so they went.
- NLT So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The landowner sends these workers into the vineyard, promising to pay whatever is right. They go trusting his fairness rather than a fixed contract.
Overview
Unlike the first group, these laborers receive no set wage, only the master's promise to do what is right. They must rely on his character and generosity. This trust in the master's goodness pictures the posture of faith, resting on God's gracious promise rather than on bargained-for merit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Pet 4:2–3Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.
- Rom 6:16–22Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?
- 1 Tim 1:12–13I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.
- 1 Cor 6:11And that is what some of you were. 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.
- 1 Pet 1:13Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Matt 21:23–31When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
- Titus 3:8This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.
- Col 4:1Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
- Luke 19:7–10And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
- Matt 9:9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 20:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.