Matthew 20:11

Mat 20:11. Ἐγόγγυζον, murmured) Cf. Luk 15:28-30.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 20:11 . ἐγόγγυζον : imperfect; the grumbling went on from man to man as they were being paid; to the overseer, but at ( κατὰ ) the master, and so that he could overhear.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house--rather, "the householder," the word being the same as in Mat 20:1.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. They murmured] The Jews made the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles, a pretence why they should reject that Gospel; as they fondly imagined they were, and should be, the sole objects of the Divine approbation. How they murmured because the Gentiles were made partakers of the kingdom of God; see Ac 11:1, &c., and Ac 15:1, &c.

There are many similitudes of this kind among the Jews, where the principal part even of the phraseology of our Lord's parable may be found. Several of them may be seen in Schoettgen. Our Lord, however, as in all other cases, has greatly improved the language, scope, design, and point of the similitude. He was, in all cases, an eminent master of the sentences.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) They murmured—i.e., as the Greek tense shows, with repeated and prolonged murmurs.

The goodman of the house.—Better, householder. The Greek word is the same as in Mat_20:1, and the archaic English phrase is a needless variation.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Saying, these last have wrought but one hour,.... Thinking it hard, that they should have the same reward for the service of one hour, others had for the service of many. This is grudged by the Jews (x);

""Bath Kol", a voice from heaven, went out and said, "Ketiah bar Shallum", is prepared for the life of the world to come; Rabbi wept, and said, there is that obtains his world (or the world to come for himself) , "in one hour"; and there is that obtains it in many years.''

The same observation is also made by the same person, on account of R. Eleazar ben Durdia (y). So in the parable of the Jews above mentioned, which is the broken remains of a common proverb among them like (z) this; it is observed, that there being one labourer among those that were hired, who did his work better than all the rest, and who was taken notice of by the king; that when

"at even the labourers came to take their wages, this labourer also came to take his; and the king gave him his wages equal with them, (or, as in another place, a perfect one,) the labourers began to press him with difficulty, (or as elsewhere (a) "they murmured",) and said, Oh! our Lord, the king, "we have laboured all the day"; but this man has not laboured but two or three hours in the day, and he takes his wages, even as ours, or a perfect reward.''

And so it follows here,

and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day; of all the Jewish rites and ceremonies, which were burdensome and intolerable. The ceremonial law was a burden to the Jewish people; the multitude of sacrifices enjoined them, and the frequent repetition of them, together with the great number of other ordinances and institutions, produced a weariness in them; especially in the carnal part of them, who saw not the things typified by them, the use and end of them, and so did not enjoy spiritual pleasure in them, Mal 1:13. It was a yoke, and a yoke of bondage to them, which brought on them a spirit of bondage, through the fear of death, which was the penalty annexed to it; and it was an insupportable one, which neither they, nor their forefathers, were able to bear, because it made them debtors to keep the whole law: and this was made still more burdensome, by the traditions of the elders, which were added to it, and which the Scribes and Pharisees obliged to the observance of; to which they themselves still added, and bound heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and laid them on men's shoulders. The law was a fiery law, and the dispensation of it was a hot and scorching one; it was uncomfortable working under the flashes of a mount, that burned with fire: the law worked wrath, and possessed the minds of men with a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation. This may also be applied to such Christians, who are called to more severe service or sufferings for Christ, than others are; who are almost pressed down without measure, and endure fiery trials, are scorched, and made black, with the sun of persecution beating upon them; as the saints under the ten persecutions of the Roman emperors, and as the confessors and martyrs in the times of papal power and cruelty; and who, it might be thought, will have a greater degree of glory and happiness hereafter; and so some have been of opinion, that these are they that shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years, Rev 20:4 But it rather seems, that others will be made equal with them, who have not endured what they have done; for all the dead in Christ, all that have part in the first resurrection, when Christ comes, as all the saints will then rise, will share in that glory; even the innumerable company, chosen, redeemed, and called, out of every nation, tongue, and people, and will be admitted to the same honour and happiness, Rev 7:9 And this character will also agree with many other servants of Christ, who are called to harder and more laborious service than others are, and labour more abundantly in the Lord's vineyard than others do, and are longer employed in it; as for instance, the Apostle Paul; and yet the same crown of righteousness that is laid up for him, and given to him, will be given to all that love the appearance of Christ, though they have not laboured for his name's sake, as he has done.

(x) T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 10. 2. (y) Ib. fol. 17. 1. (z) Shirhashirim Rabba, fol 21. 4. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 72. 4. (a) T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 5. 3.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

Ver. 11. They murmured, &c.] They had what they agreed for, some temporal blessings, which is all that carnal men commonly care for. Or if any seek after spiritual things, it is not for any beauty he seeth or taste he findeth in them, but only as a bridge to bring them to heaven; as Spira confessed of himself. It is not good therefore to indent and bargain with God how much he shall give us, either of temporals or spirituals; for so you may have your penny, and yet be discontented that it is but a penny, and no more. Profits, pleasures, honours, appear to be but empty things, when men are to go into another world.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Murmured - Complained; found fault with.

The goodman of the house - The original here is the same word which in Mat 20:1 is translated householder, and should have been so translated here. It is the old English way of denoting the father of a family. It expresses no moral quality.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And when they received it. By those who laboured all the day in the vineyard, we are to understand such as have spent their whole lives in the service of God; but we are not thence to infer, that in the kingdom of heaven, where all receive their just reward, there is envy, discontent, or any complaint. By these words, Christ wishes to convey to our minds an idea of the immense honours that will be heaped upon all such as return with sincerity, though at the decline or even verge of life, to the Almighty. So exceeding great will be their reward, that it would excite envy, were it possible, even in the elect. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. lxv.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

11. Murmured — The arithmetical spirit of Peter is close akin to quarrelling with Christ, if he, an apostle forsooth, should not be paid with a richer heaven than some Samaritan or Gentile converts. Christians may indeed be rewarded according to their works; but the spirit that sets high value on its work, and claims high pay over others, may find its works very lowly prized with God. That very spirit may destroy the reward; for our final bliss may depend more upon what we are than upon what we do, although what we do will have much effect upon what we are. Good man of the house — The householder.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They murmured. They complained aloud of the injustice to which, as they thought, they were subjected. This is one of those traits in the parable which, whatever its spiritual meaning may be, is most natural and life like.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus continues telling a parable. (See: Parables)

When they received

"When the workers who had worked the longest received"

the landowner

"the vineyard owner"

you have made them equal to us

"you have paid them the same amount of money as you paid us"

we who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat

The phrase "borne the burden of the day" is an idiom that means "worked the entire day." AT: "we who have worked the entire day, even during the hottest part" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

burden

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

11. γογγύζειν and γογγυσμὸς were ancient Ionic words synonymous with τονθυρίζειν and τονθυρισμὸς in the Attic dialect. Phrynichus quotes from Phocylides of Miletus χρή τοι τὸν ἑταῖρον ἑταίρῳ | φροντίζειν ἅσσʼ ἂν περιγογγύζωσι πολῖται. The word was probably formed from the sound of the cooing of doves, and is therefore like τρύζειν both in original and derived meanings: cp. Il. IX. 311, ὡς μή μοι τρύζητε παρήμενοι ἄλλοθεν ἄλλοι. The verb occurs more frequently in St John’s gospel, written in an Ionic city, than in any other book of the N.T. Verb and noun are found in the LXX. and in Epictetus and other late writers. See Lob. Phryn. 358.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11, 12. And having received it, they murmured against the householder, saying that these last laboured one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, who bore the weight of the day and the heat.]—γογγύζειν] only here in Mt. It is equivalent to אתרעם, Jer Talm. Berakhoth 53. It is a vernacular word found in the LXX. N.T., and later writers; cf. Kennedy, Sources, 39. It occurs in Ox. Pap. i. 33, iii. 14, 2nd cent. a.d.—καύσων] a colloquial word found in the LXX. N.T., and late writers; cf. Kennedy, 154. καύσων occurs 15 times in the LXX. generally of a hot blasting wind = Heb. קָדִים, It is used as here of heat in Athenæus, iii. p. 73a μελιλώτινοι στέφανοι πάνυ εὐώδεις καὶ καύσωνος ὥρᾳ ψυκτικώτατοι.

(L)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.