Matthew 20:7

7 " 'Because no one hired us,' they said to him. " 'You also go to my vineyard,' he told them. ^[a]

Matthew 20:7 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 20:7

They say unto him, because no man hath hired us
This may be fitly applied to the Gentiles, who hundreds of years were neglected by God; he overlooked the times of their ignorance, took no notice of them in their state of stupidity, blindness, and irreligion; but suffered them to walk in their own ways, sent no prophets to instruct them, nor messages, nor messengers to them; till at length the Jews, having rejected and crucified the Messiah, and persecuted his apostles, and contradicted, and blasphemed the Gospel, they were ordered to go to the Gentiles, and preach it to them:

he saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard:
the Gospel was made the power of God unto salvation to them; they were called by grace, became of the same body the church, were fellow heirs with the believing Jews, partakers of the same promises and privileges, in a Gospel church state, and were equally labourers in the Lord's vineyard:

and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive;
with the rest of the labourers in it. This clause is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; nor is it in Beza's most ancient Greek copy, though in all the rest; nor is it in the Persic version, which has added, "and they went", as they were bidden, into the vineyard, the call being effectual; but is retained in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.

Matthew 20:7 In-Context

5 About noon and at three, he went out again and did the same thing.

6 Then about five he went and found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?'

7 " 'Because no one hired us,' they said to him. " 'You also go to my vineyard,' he told them.

8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, 'Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.'

9 "When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.

Footnotes

• [a]. Other mss add 'and you'll get whatever is right.'