‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.
Parallel translations
- WEB He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went.
- KJV He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
- NKJV He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.
- NASB But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went.
- NLT The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway.
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 first son refuses but later repents and obeys. He pictures sinners who initially reject God yet turn and follow Him.
Overview
This son's open refusal followed by genuine change of mind illustrates true repentance. He represents the tax collectors and sinners who, though outwardly far from God, responded to John's call and believed. The parable shows that what counts before God is not initial profession but a heart that ultimately submits and obeys.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ezek 18:28–32Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.
- Dan 4:34–37But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
- Matt 3:2–8and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
- Eph 4:17–19So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
- Isa 1:16–19Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
- Jonah 3:2“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”
- Jonah 3:8–10Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.
- Eph 2:1–13And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
- Acts 26:20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
- Luke 15:17–18Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death!
- 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.
- Isa 55:6–7Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
- Jer 44:16“As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
- Matt 21:31Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
- 2 Chr 33:10–19And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 21:29 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.