Matthew 20 6

Matthew 20:6 kjv

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

Matthew 20:6 nkjv

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'

Matthew 20:6 niv

About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'

Matthew 20:6 esv

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'

Matthew 20:6 nlt

"At five o'clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, 'Why haven't you been working today?'

Matthew 20 verses

Matthew 20 6 Meaning

Matthew 20:6 describes the householder in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard going out late in the day, around the eleventh hour, to find additional workers for his vineyard. He discovers a group of people standing without work and inquires why they have spent the entire day idle. This verse highlights the householder's continued initiative to gather laborers even at the last possible moment, setting the stage for the crucial teaching on God's generous grace and sovereignty in calling people into His kingdom and dispensing rewards, regardless of when they are called.

Matthew 20 6 Context

Matthew 20:6 is a key verse within the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). This parable is immediately preceded by Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-26) and Peter's question about what he and the disciples, who have given up everything, will receive (Matthew 19:27-30). The parable serves as a direct answer and a teaching about the nature of God's grace, challenging human expectations of merit-based reward. Historically, the setting reflects the common practice in ancient Palestine where landowners hired laborers daily from the marketplace, and workers would wait there from dawn until late in the day, hoping for employment to earn a living wage (a denarius was a typical daily wage). The "eleventh hour" (likely around 5 PM, given a 12-hour workday from 6 AM to 6 PM) signifies a very late stage, emphasizing the desperate situation of those still "idle" and the remarkable generosity of the householder.

Matthew 20 6 Word analysis

• And about: (Greek: kai peri, "and concerning/around") Connects this late activity to the householder's earlier engagements, showing his continuous and persistent search for workers throughout the day.
• the eleventh hour: (Greek: tēn hendekatēn hōran, literally "the eleventh hour") Signifies the very last part of the typical working day, just an hour before sunset. This late timing emphasizes the surprising and seemingly irrational nature of the householder's action, highlighting divine grace that operates outside human logical timelines or fairness. For the laborers, it represents a day nearly wasted without employment, a time of desperation.
• he went out: (Greek: exelthōn, a participle from exerchomai, "to go out") Implies the householder's initiative and diligent effort. He doesn't wait for workers to come to him but actively seeks them, illustrating God's proactive outreach to humanity.
• and found: (Greek: kai heuren, "and he found") Indicates discovery. The workers weren't necessarily seeking employment at that precise moment; they were merely available and waiting. This highlights God's initiative in finding those He intends to call.
• others standing idle: (Greek: allous hestōtas argous, "others standing unemployed/idle").
  • hestōtas: "standing," depicts their posture of waiting and readiness, even though no work has come.
  • argous: "idle," from argos, meaning "without work," "inactive," or "unoccupied." It doesn't necessarily imply laziness or moral fault here, but rather their state of unemployment despite having been present all day, ready to work. It describes their predicament rather than condemning them. They are unproductive, not by choice, but by circumstance, symbolizing those outside the Kingdom or who have yet to find purpose in God's service.
• and saith unto them: (Greek: kai legei autois, "and he says to them") Direct address, a clear, authoritative invitation or question initiating the interaction.
• Why stand ye here all the day idle?: (Greek: Ti hōde hestēkate holēn tēn hēmeran argous, "Why here do you stand the whole day idle?") A rhetorical question.
  • "Why stand ye here": Implies a sense of unfulfillment or unproductivity in their current state.
  • "all the day idle": Emphasizes the long duration of their waiting and lack of meaningful engagement. It sets up their response ("Because no one hired us," Matt 20:7), highlighting their passivity in their plight and making the householder's offer even more significant as a sudden act of unmerited opportunity. This question subtly probes their circumstances, which reveals their helplessness without a call.

Matthew 20 6 Bonus section

The Parable of the Laborers challenges conventional human understandings of justice and equity. In God's economy, grace triumphs over perceived merit. This verse is particularly comforting for individuals who convert to Christianity late in life or who realize their calling for ministry later, assuring them that God's door is always open. The repeated "going out" of the householder throughout the day symbolizes God's various calls to different groups of people throughout salvation history: from Abraham to the Jewish nation, and eventually to the Gentiles. The "idle" ones can be seen as Gentiles or those previously uncalled or unproductive in the vineyard of faith, awaiting God's gracious and unexpected invitation. The parable subtly critiques the "first-in-line" mentality (often associated with the legalism or exclusivism prevalent in some religious groups) by showing that God's distribution of grace is solely based on His will and generosity, not on length of service or human merit.

Matthew 20 6 Commentary

Matthew 20:6 encapsulates a crucial element of God's character revealed through the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard: His enduring, active, and generous initiative in calling individuals into His service and kingdom, irrespective of their life stage or previous unproductivity. The "eleventh hour" powerfully symbolizes God's unending opportunity and willingness to engage even those who might feel they are "too late" or have wasted much of their lives before coming to faith or active service. These "idle" individuals are not condemned for their lack of work; rather, their "idleness" highlights their predicament—they are available but without opportunity. The householder's question, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?", is not a rebuke but an invitation, probing their situation and setting the stage for his surprising offer of work and a full day's wage for just an hour of labor. This teaches that salvation and kingdom reward are based on God's abundant grace and sovereign choice, not human merit, duration of service, or earned entitlement. It dismantles the natural human tendency to demand fairness based on comparison and instead elevates the astounding generosity of the divine giver. It reminds believers that God continually seeks workers, extending His call to all who will receive it, embodying a radical love that overturns human calculations of worth.