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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour

A parable comparing the realm of the skies to hiring workers throughout the day.

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 20:12  Οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἴσους αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν ἐποίησας τοῖς βαστάσασι τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα.

KJV Verse

Matthew 20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 20:12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

What His Listeners Heard:

These the last one hour performed, and equal you make them to the ones bearing the weight during the day and the heat.

Lost In Translation:

This verse contains a number of uncommon, rare, and unique words for Jesus to use.

The word translated as "equal" also means "fair" and it is used only by Jesus four times. It also means "fair." Notice that here, this idea is espoused by the antagonists of the parable. Clearly, this was not a central message of Jesus.

Two of the uncommon words are related to the bearing of burdens, something Jesus espoused for his followers, but not commonly. He condemns his opponents for purring heavy burdens on people, claiming that his burden is light.

 

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Saying(OS), These (MW) last have(WT) wrought(CW) but(IW) one hour, and thou hast(WT) made them equal unto us, which have(WT) borne the burden and (MW) heat of the day.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.