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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 20:9 And when they came that [were hired]

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

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 20:9  ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον.

KJV Verse

Matthew 20:9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 20:9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.

What His Listeners Heard:

Coming, however, those connected with the eleventh hour, got from top to bottom a silver coin.

Lost In Translation:

The rare word here is translated as "every" and "each" is actually the setup for the punchline. Jesus only used it a half dozen times, but it means something like "from top to bottom," indicating a range. So, you don't expect the punchline, that is, all of the people to be paid the same, the punchline, a denarius, a single coin

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And(OS) when they came(WF) that were hired(IW) about the eleventh hour, they received every(WW) man(IW) a penny.

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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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.