Matthew 20:3 Meaning and Explanation
“And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At mid-morning the landowner goes out again and finds others standing without work in the marketplace.
What Does Matthew 20:3 Mean?
The third hour is mid-morning, around nine o'clock, counting from sunrise. The marketplace was where day laborers gathered, hoping someone would hire them; to stand there idle was not laziness but the painful waiting of those who had found no work. The master, already well staffed, goes out a second time and sees them.
What moves the master is not a shortage of hands but a willingness to include. He keeps returning to the place of the overlooked. There is something of God's own heart in this restless going out: He is not content to gather only the early and the obvious. Those still standing on the edges of the day, unchosen and unsure, are exactly the ones He notices and means to call.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 20:3
What does Matthew 20:3 mean?
At mid-morning the landowner goes out again and finds others standing without work in the marketplace.