Matthew / Chapter 20

Matthew 20

34 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Matthew 20 opens with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where laborers hired at different hours all receive the same pay — a denarius — provoking complaint from those who worked longest. Jesus uses this to illustrate that God's generosity transcends human calculations of merit. The chapter then contains the third and most detailed passion prediction, the ambitious request of James and John's mother for her sons to sit at Jesus's right and left in his kingdom, Jesus's teaching that greatness means servanthood, and the healing of two blind men near Jericho.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The vineyard parable is unique to Matthew and is one of the most provocative stories Jesus tells. It offends our sense of fairness — the workers who labored all day in the heat receive the same wage as those who worked one hour. The landowner's response ('Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?') reframes the issue from justice to generosity. The third passion prediction (vv. 17-19) is the most specific yet, adding details about being handed to Gentiles, mocking, flogging, and crucifixion. The request for honored seats and Jesus's response introduce the cup metaphor for suffering and culminate in the definitive statement of his mission: 'The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

Translation Friction

The parable's apparent unfairness is the point — God's grace does not operate by the merit-based system humans expect. We render the landowner's question in verse 15 as closely as possible to preserve the challenge. The SBLGNT places James and John's mother as the one making the request (v. 20), while Mark 10:35 has the brothers themselves asking — Matthew may be softening the brothers' image. The word lytron ('ransom,' v. 28) has significant theological weight and has been central to atonement theology; we render it directly without interpretive expansion.

Connections

The vineyard parable connects to Isaiah 5:1-7 (God's vineyard = Israel) and echoes the 'first shall be last' saying from 19:30. The third passion prediction fulfills the pattern established in 16:21 and 17:22-23. The 'cup' metaphor (v. 22) anticipates Gethsemane (26:39). The 'ransom' saying (v. 28) connects to Isaiah 53:10-12 (the servant who bears others' sins) and the Passover redemption theology. The Jericho healing marks the last stop before Jerusalem.

Matthew 20:1

Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ ὅστις ἐξῆλθεν ἅμα πρωῒ μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

KJV For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The parable is introduced with 'For' (gar), connecting it to the 'first shall be last' saying of 19:30. The oikodespotes ('master of the house, landowner') represents God. The vineyard (ampelon) is a traditional Old Testament symbol for Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7). Going out 'early in the morning' (hama proi) indicates the start of the workday at approximately 6:00 AM.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 5:1-7. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Matthew 20:2

συμφωνήσας δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἐργατῶν ἐκ δηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.

After agreeing with the workers on a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

KJV And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb symphonesas ('having agreed') indicates a mutual contract. A denarius (denarion) was the standard daily wage for a laborer. The KJV's 'penny' is misleading in modern English; we retain 'denarius' as the specific coin. The agreement establishes a just wage — the later controversy is not about underpayment but about equal payment for unequal work.
Matthew 20:3

καὶ ἐξελθὼν περὶ τρίτην ὥραν εἶδεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς·

Going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace

KJV And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'third hour' (triten horan) is approximately 9:00 AM by Jewish reckoning (counting from sunrise). The marketplace (agora) was where day laborers gathered hoping for employment. The word argous ('idle, unemployed') does not necessarily imply laziness — these workers had no one to hire them.
Matthew 20:4

καὶ ἐκείνοις εἶπεν· Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ δίκαιον δώσω ὑμῖν.

Stated to them. Go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. Then they traveled their way.

KJV And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Unlike the first group, these workers receive no specific wage agreement — only the promise of 'whatever is right' (ho ean e dikaion). The word dikaion ('right, just, fair') sets up the parable's central question about what constitutes fairness. These workers must trust the landowner's character.
Matthew 20:5

οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον. πάλιν δὲ ἐξελθὼν περὶ ἕκτην καὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως.

So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

KJV Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The sixth hour is approximately noon, the ninth hour approximately 3:00 PM. The repeated hiring — at 6 AM, 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM — creates a pattern that makes the final hiring at the eleventh hour (v. 6) the climactic surprise. Each group works progressively less time.
Matthew 20:6

περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ἐξελθὼν εὗρεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τί ὧδε ἑστήκατε ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀργοί;

About the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'

KJV And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The eleventh hour is approximately 5:00 PM — one hour before the workday ends at sundown. These workers have waited all day without employment. The landowner's question is not accusatory but inquisitive, and their answer (v. 7) reveals that unemployment, not laziness, is the cause.
Matthew 20:7

λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐμισθώσατο. λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα.

They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'

KJV They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Their explanation — 'no one hired us' (oudeis hemas emisthosato) — evokes sympathy. The SBLGNT does not include the additional phrase 'and whatever is right you will receive,' which appears in some manuscripts and the KJV tradition. The landowner simply sends them to work with no stated wage.
Matthew 20:8

ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης λέγει ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ αὐτοῦ· Κάλεσον τοὺς ἐργάτας καὶ ἀπόδος αὐτοῖς τὸν μισθὸν ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἕως τῶν πρώτων.

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'

KJV So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The instruction to pay 'from the last to the first' (arxamenos apo ton eschaton heos ton proton) is a deliberate narrative device — the first-hired must watch the last-hired receive their pay, which creates the expectation and subsequent outrage that drives the parable's point. The epitropos ('manager, steward') handles the actual payment. The evening payment complies with Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:15, which require same-day wages.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Leviticus 19:13 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 24:15 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Matthew 20:9

καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον.

When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each received a denarius.

KJV And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The eleventh-hour workers receive a full denarius for one hour of work. The phrase ana denarion ('a denarius each') emphasizes that every worker in this group received the same amount as was contracted with the first group. This is the parable's surprise — and it sets up the complaint.
Matthew 20:10

καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ πρῶτοι ἐνόμισαν ὅτι πλεῖον λήμψονται· καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ ἀνὰ δηνάριον καὶ αὐτοί.

When the first came, they expected to receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.

KJV But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb enomisan ('they supposed, expected') reveals their reasoning: if the last received a full denarius, proportional justice would give the first much more. The phrase kai autoi ('they also') emphasizes the equal treatment that the first group finds unjust. Their expectation is entirely logical by human standards — which is precisely the point.
Matthew 20:11

λαβόντες δὲ ἐγόγγυζον κατὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου

When they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,

KJV And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb egongyzon ('grumbled, murmured') echoes Israel's murmuring against God in the wilderness (Exodus 16:7-8, Numbers 14:2). The allusion is probably deliberate: those who have been provided for complain that others have received undeserved generosity.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Exodus 16:7-8. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Numbers 14:2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Matthew 20:12

λέγοντες· Οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἴσους ἡμῖν αὐτοὺς ἐποίησας τοῖς βαστάσασι τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα.

Indeed, declaring, These last have wrought but one hour, and you have created them as equal to us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The complaint is vivid and visceral: 'the burden of the day and the scorching heat' (to baros tes hemeras kai ton kausona) evokes twelve hours of physical labor under the Palestinian sun. The word isous ('equal') is the crux — they object not to the last group's payment but to the equality. They want hierarchical reward, not equal generosity. Their grievance feels entirely reasonable, which makes the landowner's response all the more challenging.
Matthew 20:13

ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς ἑνὶ αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἑταῖρε, οὐκ ἀδικῶ σε· οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι;

But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

KJV But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The address hetaire ('friend, companion') is polite but formal — Matthew uses it in contexts of gentle correction or warning (22:12, 26:50). The verb adiko ('I wrong, I am unjust to') directly addresses the complaint: no injustice has occurred. The contracted wage has been paid in full. The landowner's defense rests on two pillars: contractual integrity (v. 13) and sovereign generosity (v. 15).
Matthew 20:14

ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε· θέλω δὲ τούτῳ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δοῦναι ὡς καὶ σοί.

Take what is yours and go. I choose to give to this last worker the same as I gave to you.

KJV Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imperatives aron ('take') and hypage ('go') are firm dismissals. The verb thelo ('I choose, I wish, I want') is the key — the landowner asserts his sovereign right to be generous beyond contractual obligation. The phrase touto to eschato ('to this last one') pointedly identifies the recipient of the generosity.
Matthew 20:15

ἢ οὐκ ἔξεστίν μοι ὃ θέλω ποιῆσαι ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς; ἢ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι;

Am I not allowed to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?'

KJV Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Two rhetorical questions drive the parable's theology home. The first asserts the owner's sovereign freedom over his own possessions. The second — literally 'Is your eye evil?' (ho ophthalmos sou poneros estin) — uses the Semitic idiom where an 'evil eye' denotes envy or stinginess (cf. 6:23). We render it 'envious' to capture the meaning. The word agathos ('good, generous') is the same word the young man used in his question to Jesus (19:16-17). The parable's God-figure claims the attribute of goodness that belongs to God alone.
Matthew 20:16

Οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι.

So the last will be first, and the first last."

KJV So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The saying that opened this section (19:30) now closes it, forming an inclusio. The parable has illustrated the principle: God's generosity does not follow human hierarchies of merit. The SBLGNT does not include 'for many are called but few are chosen,' which appears in some manuscripts and the KJV tradition — that saying appears authentically at 22:14.
Matthew 20:17

Καὶ ἀναβαίνων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παρέλαβεν τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς κατ' ἰδίαν καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς·

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way,

KJV And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb anabainon ('going up') is geographically accurate — Jerusalem sits at approximately 2,500 feet elevation, and travelers from Jericho ascend significantly. But 'going up to Jerusalem' also carries theological weight as pilgrimage language. The private setting (kat' idian) indicates that the passion prediction is for the inner circle, not the crowds.
Matthew 20:18

Ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθήσεται τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ γραμματεῦσιν, καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτὸν θανάτῳ

"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death

KJV Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This third passion prediction (cf. 16:21, 17:22-23) is the most detailed. The verb paradothesetai ('will be handed over') adds the theme of betrayal/delivery. For the first time, the role of the Jewish leadership (chief priests and scribes) in condemning Jesus is specified alongside the role of the Gentiles (v. 19). The phrase katakrinousin auton thanato ('they will condemn him to death') indicates a formal legal sentence.
Matthew 20:19

καὶ παραδώσουσιν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς τὸ ἐμπαῖξαι καὶ μαστιγῶσαι καὶ σταυρῶσαι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθήσεται.

Indeed, will deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him — and the third day he will come back to life.

KJV And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Gentiles (ethnesin) are the Romans, who alone had the authority to execute by crucifixion. The three infinitives — empaizai ('to mock'), mastigosai ('to flog'), staurosai ('to crucify') — describe the precise sequence of the passion narrative as it will unfold in chapters 26-27. This is the first time Jesus explicitly names crucifixion (staurosai) as the method of his death. The passive 'will be raised' (egertheesetai) affirms God's final action beyond the human violence.
Matthew 20:20

Τότε προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῆς προσκυνοῦσα καὶ αἰτοῦσά τι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling before him and making a request.

KJV Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Matthew places the mother as the spokesperson, while Mark 10:35 has James and John making the request directly. This may reflect Matthew's tendency to soften the portrayal of the apostles. The sons of Zebedee are James and John (4:21). The participle proskynousa ('kneeling, worshipping') indicates the seriousness of the approach.
Matthew 20:21

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Τί θέλεις; λέγει αὐτῷ· Εἰπὲ ἵνα καθίσωσιν οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.

He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."

KJV And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The request for seats at the right and left (ek dexion and ex euonymon) of the king was a request for the two highest positions of honor and authority in the coming kingdom. The mother has heard the promise of twelve thrones (19:28) and wants the best seats for her sons. The irony — visible only in retrospect — is that the positions at Jesus's right and left at his 'enthronement' will be occupied by two crucified criminals (27:38).
Matthew 20:22

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ μέλλω πίνειν; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Δυνάμεθα.

Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

KJV But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus shifts from the mother to the sons (the verb oidate and aiteisthe are second person plural). The 'cup' (poterion) is a well-established Old Testament metaphor for suffering and divine judgment (Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15). The SBLGNT does not include the reference to baptism, which appears in Mark 10:38 and some Matthew manuscripts. The brothers' confident 'We are able' (dynametha) is sincere but uninformed — they do not yet know what the cup contains.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalm 75:8. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 51:17. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
  4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Jeremiah 25:15. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Matthew 20:23

λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τὸ μὲν ποτήριόν μου πίεσθε, τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν τοῦτο δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οἷς ἡτοίμασται ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου.

He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to grant. That is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

KJV And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus confirms their future suffering (James was martyred, Acts 12:2; John, according to tradition, endured exile) but refuses to grant the seating request, deferring to the Father's sovereign arrangement. The passive hetoimastai ('it has been prepared') indicates prior divine planning. Jesus's refusal reveals something about his self-understanding: he operates within the Father's authority, not independently of it.
Matthew 20:24

Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δέκα ἠγανάκτησαν περὶ τῶν δύο ἀδελφῶν.

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

KJV And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb eganaktesan ('were indignant, were angry') reveals that the other ten disciples share the same ambition — they are not offended by the desire for status but by the attempt to secure it first. Their anger provides the occasion for Jesus's teaching on servant leadership.
Matthew 20:25

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν· Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.

But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

KJV But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verbs katakyrieousin ('lord it over, dominate') and katexousiazousin ('exercise authority over, tyrannize') both use the prefix kata- ('down upon'), indicating oppressive, top-down power. Jesus describes the standard model of leadership in the Roman world — and then explicitly rejects it for his community.
Matthew 20:26

οὐχ οὕτως ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' ὃς ἐὰν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος,

It must not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

KJV But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The prohibition ouch houtos estai en hymin ('it must not be this way among you') is categorical. The word diakonos ('servant, minister, one who serves at table') was not a prestigious role — it denoted someone who waited on others at meals. Jesus redefines greatness as service, inverting the power structure he has just described.
Matthew 20:27

καὶ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος ἔσται ὑμῶν δοῦλος·

Whosoever will be chief in the midst of you, let him be your servant:.

KJV And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The escalation from diakonos ('servant,' v. 26) to doulos ('slave') intensifies the demand. A doulos had no rights, no autonomy, no personal agenda — only the master's will. The word 'first' (protos) echoes the parable's concern with first and last (vv. 8, 16) and the disciples' desire for preeminence.
Matthew 20:28

ὥσπερ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν.

Even as the Son of Man arrived not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for numerous.

KJV Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

λύτρον lytron
"ransom" — ransom, redemption price, means of release

From the verb lyo ('to loose, to release'). The lytron was the specific price paid to liberate someone from bondage. In the Old Testament, the go'el ('kinsman-redeemer') paid the redemption price for family members in slavery. Jesus identifies his death as the ransom price that liberates 'many' from bondage to sin and death.

Translator Notes

  1. This is one of the most theologically dense sentences in the Gospels. Jesus defines his entire mission in terms of service and self-sacrifice. The word lytron ('ransom') appears only here and in Mark 10:45 in the Gospels. It refers to the price paid to free a slave or prisoner. The preposition anti ('in place of, instead of') indicates substitution — Jesus's life given in exchange for 'many' (pollon). The language echoes Isaiah 53:10-12, where the Servant of the LORD bears the sin of many. 'Many' (polloi) is a Semitic inclusive term that often means 'all' (cf. Romans 5:15-19).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 53:10-12 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Matthew 20:29

Καὶ ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς.

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

KJV And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jericho, about fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem, was the last major stop on the pilgrim route to Jerusalem. The 'large crowd' (ochlos polys) suggests the growing numbers of Passover pilgrims joining Jesus as he approaches the capital.
Matthew 20:30

καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο τυφλοὶ καθήμενοι παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, ἀκούσαντες ὅτι Ἰησοῦς παράγει, ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, κύριε, υἱὸς Δαυίδ.

And two blind men sitting beside the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

KJV And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Matthew has two blind men where Mark 10:46 names one (Bartimaeus). This is consistent with Matthew's tendency to double figures (cf. two demoniacs in 8:28 where Mark has one). The address 'Son of David' (huios Dauid) is a messianic title acknowledging Jesus as the expected Davidic king. The plea 'have mercy' (eleeson) echoes the Canaanite woman's cry (15:22) — the same faith-filled appeal from those on society's margins.
Matthew 20:31

ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σιωπήσωσιν· οἱ δὲ μεῖζον ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, κύριε, υἱὸς Δαυίδ.

The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

KJV And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The crowd's attempt to silence the blind men parallels the disciples' attempt to send away the children (19:13) and the Canaanite woman (15:23). The pattern is consistent: human gatekeepers try to prevent the marginal from reaching Jesus, and the desperate refuse to be silenced. The comparative meizon ('louder, more urgently') shows their persistence increasing under pressure.
Matthew 20:32

καὶ στὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐφώνησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν· Τί θέλετε ποιήσω ὑμῖν;

Jesus stopped and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?"

KJV And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus's stopping (stas) is significant — he is on his way to Jerusalem, to his death, yet he stops for two blind beggars. The question 'What do you want me to do for you?' (ti thelete poieso hymin) is the same question he effectively asked the mother of James and John (v. 21). The contrast is pointed: she wanted status; they want sight.
Matthew 20:33

λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν.

They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."

KJV They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Their request is simple and direct: 'that our eyes may be opened' (hina anoigosin hoi ophthalmoi hemon). The opening of blind eyes is a messianic sign (Isaiah 35:5, 42:7), so their request implicitly affirms the 'Son of David' title they have used. The passive anoigosin ('may be opened') acknowledges that they cannot heal themselves.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 35:5 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Matthew 20:34

σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἥψατο τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀνέβλεψαν καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

KJV So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb splanchnistheis ('moved with compassion') again denotes the visceral, gut-level mercy characteristic of Jesus (cf. 9:36, 14:14, 15:32). The physical touch (hepsato ton ommaton, 'touched their eyes') is not strictly necessary for healing — Jesus has healed at a distance — but adds personal, intimate contact. The immediate result (eutheos) and their following (ekoloutheesan) indicate both physical healing and discipleship. As Jesus enters Jerusalem for the final time, he does so accompanied by those whose eyes he has opened — a fitting symbolic conclusion to the journey.
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