Matthew 20 is the twentieth chapter in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

continues his final journey through

Perea Perea or Peraea (Greek: Περαία, " the country beyond") was the portion of the kingdom of Herod the Great occupying the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from about one third the way down the Jordan River segment connecting the Sea ...

and Jericho, heading towards

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, which he enters in the following chapter.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

. This chapter is divided into 34 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter include: *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(AD 325–350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...

(330–360) *

Codex Bezae The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 5 (in the von Soden of New Testament manuscript), is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century writ ...

(c. 400) *

Codex Washingtonianus The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 014 ( Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Gospels'', and ''The Freer Gospel'', contains the four biblical gospels an ...

(c. 400) * Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450) * Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century) * Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus (6th century; extant verses 7–34) * Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant verses 9–34) *

Papyrus 83 Papyrus 83 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓83, is a copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew. The surviving texts of Matthew are verses 20:23-25,30-31; 23:39-24:1,6. The manuscrip ...

(6th century; extant verses 23–25, 30–31)

Structure

The New King James Version (NKJV) organises this chapter as follows: *The

Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard __NOTOC__ The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (also called the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard or the Parable of the Generous Employer) is a parable of Jesus which appears in chapter 20 of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testamen ...

() *Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection (; ; ) * Greatness is Serving () *Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight ().

Continuity with
Matthew 19 Matthew 19 is the nineteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible.Halley, Henry H. ''Halley's Bible Handbook'': an Abbreviated Bible Commentary, 23rd edition, Zondervan Publishing House, 1962 The b ...

The parable of the workers in the vineyard illustrates the

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by ...

in : ''Many who are first will be last, and the last first''. Anglican theologian E. H. Plumptre argues that the division of the chapters at this point is "singularly unfortunate, as separating the parable both from the events which gave occasion to it and from the teaching which it illustrates. It is not too much to say that we can scarcely understand it at all unless we connect it with the history of the young ruler who had great possessions, and the claims which the disciples had made for themselves when they contrasted their readiness with his reluctance".

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

Johann Bengel argues, likewise, that a link is to be made with

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

's enquiry in : "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" Bengel, J. A.
Gnomon of the New Testament
on Matthew 20, accessed 28 September 2019 The appointment of Jesus'

twelve disciples In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and ministry ...

to "sit on twelve thrones, judging the

twelve tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, thro ...

" in "the regeneration" () may also be contrasted with the request of the mother of

Zebedee Zebedee ( ; grc, Ζεβεδαῖος, Zebedaîos; he, , Zəḇaḏyâ), according to all four Canonical Gospels, was the father of James and John, two disciples of Jesus. The gospels also suggest that he was the husband of Salome: whereas Mar ...

's children, possibly Salome, that the seats of Jesus' right and left in the

kingdom of heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) **Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

to be allocated to

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

().

Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

This parable is only related by Matthew.Meyer, H. A. W.
Meyer's NT Commentary: Matthew 20
accessed 29 September 2019 It asserts that "the

is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard".

Verse 2

:''Now when he he landownerhad agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.'' Bengel notes that the landowner deals with the first group of labourers by

legal contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

, promising to pay an agreed sum, and with the others more by mere liberality".

Verse 16

:''So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.'' The second part of this verse, ''For many are called, but few rechosen'', is not included in

Codex Regius Codex Regius ( la, Cōdex Rēgius, "Royal Book" or "King's Book"; is, Konungsbók) or GKS 2365 4º is an Icelandic codex in which many Old Norse poems from the ''Poetic Edda'' are preserved. Thought to have been written during the 1270s, it ...

Codex Dublinensis Codex Dublinensis designated by Z or 035 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 26 ( von Soden), is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 6th century. The manuscript is lacunose. Description The codex cont ...

. The words are included in the

Textus Receptus ''Textus Receptus'' (Latin: "received text") refers to all printed editions of the Greek New Testament from Erasmus's ''Novum Instrumentum omne'' (1516) to the 1633 Elzevir edition. It was the most commonly used text type for Protestant deno ...

, and by

Scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who could read and write or who wrote letters to court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying written material. This usually indicated secretarial and ad ...

, and they appear in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

, but they are omitted from the

American Standard Version The American Standard Version (ASV), officially Revised Version, Standard American Edition, is a Bible translation into English that was completed in 1901 with the publication of the revision of the Old Testament. The revised New Testament had ...

and the New International Version.

The journey towards Jerusalem

Verse 17

:''Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road, and said to them,'' This verse continues the journey commenced in . There are three typical readings of this verse: *''Jesus ... took the twelve disciples aside on the road, and said to them'' ( New King James Version, cf. Geneva Bible,

Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonica ...

) *''Jesus ... took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them'' ( Revised Standard Version, cf.

, Amplified Version,

Holman Christian Standard Bible The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is a modern English Bible translation from Holman Bible Publishers. The New Testament was published in 1999, followed by the full Bible in March 2004. Beginnings The roots of the HCSB can be traced ...

). *The words "on the way" are missing from the Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

and from the Douay-Rheims Version: :''Et ascendens Jesus Jerosolymam, assumpsit duodecim discipulos secreto, et ait illis:'' :''And Jesus going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart, and said to them:''

Verse 20

:''Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him''. The mother of

's sons,

and

, is known to have been Salome, "as we learn by comparing Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40". Her request is described as "ambitious".

Departure from Jericho

Matthew's narrative portrays the healing of two blind men taking place as Jesus, his disciples and a great multitude leave Jericho, although their passage back over the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

and their arrival in Jericho are not described. The Ethiopic version, uniquely, reads here "as they went out from Jerusalem".Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
on Matthew 20, accessed 5 February 2017

References

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Matthew chapters