Matthew 20:13

But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
he answered	ἀποκριθεὶς apokritheis	G611	to conclude for oneself · verb — aorist passive deponent participle, nominative singular masculine
one	ἑνὶ heni	G1520	one · adjective — dative singular masculine
of them	αὐτῶν autōn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive plural masculine
and said	εἶπεν· eipen	G2036	to speak or say (by word or writing) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
Friend	ἑταῖρε, hetaire	G2083	a comrade · noun — vocative singular masculine
I do	ἀδικῶ adikō	G91	to be unjust · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
thee	σέ sé	G4571	thee
no	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
wrong	ἀδικέω adikéō	G91	to be unjust
didst	συνεφώνησάς sunephōnēsas	G4856	to be harmonious · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person singular
not	οὐχὶ ouchi	G3780	not indeed · particle — negative
thou agree	συμφωνέω symphōnéō	G4856	to be harmonious
with me	μοί moí	G3427	to me
for a penny	δηναρίου dēnariou	G1220	a denarius (or ten asses) · noun — genitive singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Matthew 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Matthew 26:50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
Romans 9:14-15 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that b…
Job 34:8-12 Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men.
Job 34:17-18 Shall even he that hateth right govern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?
Job 35:2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 20:13

But he answered one of them--doubtless the spokesman of the complaining party. and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? &c.

John Gill on Matthew 20:13

But he answered one of them,.... Who was the forwardest and loudest in his complaints, and represented the rest; and said, friend, I do thee no wrong; by giving all alike, the same privileges and blessings to the last, as to the first, since nothing was withheld from him. And indeed the Lord does no wrong to any, by the distinction which he makes among his creatures: he is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works: he does no injury to the evil angels, by choosing the good angels, and confirming them in the estate in which they were created; when the others are reserved in chains of darkness, to the judgment of the great day; or by choosing fallen men, in Christ, and making provi…

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John Calvin on Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16 Matthew 20:1-16 1. For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who went out at break of day to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2. And having made an agreement with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3. And having gone out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the market-place. 4. And he said to them, Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever shall be right I will give you. 5. And they went away. And again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and acted in the same manner. 6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand you here all the day idle? 7. They say to h…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 20:8

Payment followed the day’s work (Deut 24:14-15).

Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Clarke, Gill, Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch are in the public domain; Tyndale Open Study Notes © Tyndale House Publishers, CC BY-SA 4.0 — all from the Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org). Rashi: the Rosenbaum & Silbermann Pentateuch (public domain) and the Judaica Press and Metsudah Tanakh (CC BY), via Sefaria. Spurgeon's Treasury of David: public domain (lyteword's markdown edition, CC0).

The Church Fathers

By this one to whom his answer is given, may be understood all the believing Jews, whom he calls friends because of their faith.
— Remigius of Rheims ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

A denarius bears the figure of the king. You have therefore received the reward which I promised you, that is, my image and likeness; what desirest thou more?
— Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Perhaps it is to Adam He says, Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a denarius? Take that thine is, and go thy way. Salvation is thine, that is, the denarius. I will give unto this last also as unto thee. A person might not improbably suppose, that this last was the Apostle Paul, who wrought but one hour, and was made equal with all who had been before him.
— Origen of Alexandria ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Denarius — (containing ten), Authorized Version “penny,” (Matthew 18:28; 20:2,9,13) a Roman silver coin in the time of our Saviour and the Apostles, worth about 15 cents. It took its name from its being first…
Hireling — A labourer employed on hire for a limited time (Job 7:1; 14:6; Mark 1:20). His wages were paid as soon as his work was over (Lev. 19:13). In the time of our Lord a day’s wage was a “penny” (q.v.)…
Penny — (Gr. denarion), a silver coin of the value of about 7 1/2d. or 8d. of our present money. It is thus rendered in the New Testament, and is more frequently mentioned than any other coin (Matt. 18:28;…
Wages — Rate of (mention only in Matt. 20:2); to be punctually paid (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14, 15); judgements threatened against the withholding of (Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5; comp. James 5:4); paid in money…
Contracts · 21:2-6; — 21:2-6;
Employee · CHARACTER OF UNRIGHTEOUS — CHARACTER OF UNRIGHTEOUS
Employer · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Kingdom Of Heaven · .To a househol — .To a househol
Labor · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Parables · Parables of christ: Labourers hired — Parables of christ: Labourers hired
Penny · Worth one day’s wages — Worth one day’s wages
Reward · 8:33; — 8:33;