Matthew 20:9 Meaning and Explanation
“And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Those hired last, at the eleventh hour, each receive a full day's wage.
What Does Matthew 20:9 Mean?
The workers who labored only one hour step forward and each receives a penny, the very denarius promised to those who toiled all day. They had no agreement for so much; they trusted the master's word to do right, and his idea of right proves astonishingly large. A single hour of work is met with a full day's pay.
This is the heart of the parable's surprise. The eleventh-hour workers receive not by the measure of their labor but by the measure of the master's generosity. Here is the gospel in miniature: God's reward is not a wage carefully weighed against our output but a gift that overflows what we could ever earn. Those who come late and empty-handed find that grace gives them a full portion.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 20:9
What does Matthew 20:9 mean?
Those hired last, at the eleventh hour, each receive a full day's wage.