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and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.
Matthew 20:4 · New 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.
  • KJV And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
  • BSB ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
  • 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 you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
  • Rom 6:16–22Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?
  • 1 Tim 1:12–13And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;
  • 1 Cor 6:11Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
  • 1 Pet 1:13Therefore prepare your minds for action, be sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ —
  • Matt 21:23–31When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
  • Titus 3:8This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men;
  • Col 4:1Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
  • Luke 19:7–10When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”
  • Matt 9:9As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up 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.