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And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Matthew 20:4 · King James Version
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.
  • BSB ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
  • 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 4:2–3That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
  • Rom 6:16–22Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
  • 1 Tim 1:12–13And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
  • 1 Cor 6:11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
  • 1 Pet 1:13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
  • Matt 21:23–31And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
  • Titus 3:8This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
  • Col 4:1Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
  • Luke 19:7–10And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
  • Matt 9:9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (10)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 20:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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.