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Matthew 20:3
ESV And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
NIV "About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
NASB And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
CSB When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
NLT At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing.
KJV And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
NKJV And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

What does Matthew 20:3 mean?

Jesus is telling a story about the master of a house hiring dayworkers for his vineyard. The story is a parable meant to illustrate a specific aspect of the kingdom of heaven. In this case, Jesus is showing His disciples what He means when He says that many who are first in the kingdom will be last and the last first (Matthew 19:27–30).

The typical workday at this time began around 6 a.m. and ended around 6 p.m. The master hired a group of workers early in the morning to work the vineyard for one denarius for the day, the common wage for laborers. Now he returns to the marketplace at around the "third hour" from 6 a.m. He needs more workers and finds some men with no other work to do. This does not mean that they are lazy, only that they have not yet been hired to do any work for the day. He will hire these workers, as well.
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