Matthew 20:5

Mat 20:5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour — At noon, and three in the afternoon; and did likewise — Sent others to work on the same general promise of giving them as much as they could reasonably expect. Thus many of the Jews were brought into the Christian Church, the Lord’s vineyard, by the preaching of the apostles, after the descent of the Holy Ghost, first in Judea, and afterward in different parts of the world; and many in a state of manhood, and some in declining years, have in former ages obeyed the gospel call, and not a few, at the same periods of human life, obey it in the present age in this country, and in other parts of the earth, where the gospel is preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_20:5 ff. Ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως] the same thing, namely, as he had done in the preceding case, Mat_20:4, sending them away, and promising them also only what was equitable. Comp. Mat_20:7.

ὅτι] because.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 20:5 . ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως : repetition of the action at sixth and ninth hours; more men still on similar footing.

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

Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour--about noon, and about three o'clock in the afternoon.

and did likewise--hiring and sending into his vineyard fresh laborers each time.

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 5. The sixth hour] Twelve o'clock. Ninth hour - three o'clock in the afternoon.

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

Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,.... About twelve o'clock, or at noon, and three o'clock in the afternoon. These three last mentioned seasons of the day, were the hours of prayer; see Act 2:15 and did likewise: seeing others in the same place, and posture, he called them, and sent them into his vineyard, to labour there, giving them the same promise he did to others.

and did likewise: seeing others in the same place, and posture, he called them, and sent them into his vineyard, to labour there, giving them the same promise he did to others.

Matthew 20:6

mat 20:6

mat 20:6

mat 20:6And about the eleventh hour he went out,.... About five o'clock in the afternoon. The Persic version reads it, "the twelfth hour", which was six o'clock in the afternoon, the last hour of the day. The Jews divided their day into twelve hours, Joh 11:9 and these twelve hours into four parts; Neh 9:3 each part containing three hours, to which division there is a manifest respect in this parable. These different seasons of the husbandman's going out to hire labourers, may have regard either to the several periods of time, and ages of the world, as before the law, under the law, the times of the Messiah, and the last days; or the various dispensations of the Gospel, first by Christ, and John the Baptist to the Jews, then by the apostles to the same in their first mission, afterwards when their commission was renewed, first to the Jews in Judea, and then to the same among the nations of the world, and last of all to the Gentiles; or to the several stages of human life, and may regard Christ's call of persons in childhood, youth, manhood, and old age; which last may be signified by the eleventh hour, as also the Gentiles, and the remainder of God's elect in the last day:

and found others standing idle; in the same place and position as before: for the state and condition of God's elect, by nature, as it is the same with others, it is the same with them all. The word "idle" is omitted here by the Vulgate Latin, the Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but is retained in the Syriac and Persic versions; and stands in the Greek copies:

and saith unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? for being about the eleventh hour, the day was far spent, it was almost gone, a small portion of it remained, but one hour, as appears from Mat 20:12.

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

5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

Ver. 5. About the sixth and ninth hour] God hath his servants of all sexes and sizes, calling when and whom he pleaseth. And they have the comfort and credit of it that are first called, so they walk worthy of their time, and that vocation wherewith they are called, Eph 3:1. Thus it was an honour to Mnason that he was an "old disciple," Act 21:16; and to Andronicus and Junia, that Paul should say of them, "who also were in Christ before," Rom 16:7.

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.

The sixth and ninth hour - That is, about twelve o’clock and three o’clock.

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

5. Sixth… hour — Twelve o’clock.

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

Sixth and ninth hour. At midday and 3 p.m., which would give respectively about half a day"s and a quarter of a day"s work.

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

5, 6. Went about the sixth and ninth hour. Twelve and three o'clock.

About the eleventh hour. Five o'clock.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus continues telling a parable. (See: Parables)

Again he went out

"Again the landowner went out"

the sixth hour and again the ninth hour

The sixth hour is around noon. The ninth hour is around three in the afternoon. (See: Ordinal Numbers)

did the same

This means the landowner went to the marketplace and hired workers.

the eleventh hour

This is about five in the afternoon. (See: Ordinal Numbers)

standing idle

"not doing anything" or "not having any work"

translationWords

hour

vineyard

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

5. πάλιν δὲ ἐξελθών. The householder himself goes forth to summon labourers to his vineyard. Thus not only in the beginning of the gospel, but in every age Christ Himself calls labourers to His work. The Master never stands idle.

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.

5. Again he went out about the sixth (= 12) and the ninth (= 3 p.m.) hour, and did likewise.]

(L)

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