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Matthew 20:10
ESV Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
NIV So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
NASB And so when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
CSB So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each.
NLT When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.
KJV But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

What does Matthew 20:10 mean?

In Jesus' parable (Matthew 20:1), the master of the house hired one group of men to work an entire day in exchange for a denarius. He then hired groups to work the rest of the day for "whatever is right" at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and even 5 p.m. When the master paid those hired last, the ones who worked only an hour, a full denarius, the wheels of those hired first started spinning. They assumed that because they worked far longer, the master was about to pay them far more than what they had agreed to work for.

Now they learn that they are wrong. Instead of receiving, say, twelve denarii as an equivalent compensation for twelve hours of work, the first group each got exactly what they agreed to: one denarius. Put in the same situation, perhaps our first reaction would be the same as these men (Matthew 20:11): to claim this is not fair. Jesus, though, will show the master insisting that he has done right and fair by everyone. No one is getting anything different than that which they had agreed to.
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