Bible Strands
Matthew 20:11
On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the day laborers who worked the full day as they collect their wages. They turn their complaint directly toward the landowner immediately after receiving their payment.
The words — The Greek ἐγόγγυζον (egonguzon) literally means "they were grumbling," while οἰκοδεσπότου (oikodespotou) denotes the "master of the house." These terms anchor the scene in the immediate clash between the workers' expectation and the employer's authority.
The thread — This specific act of grumbling against authority recurs in Luke 19:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, and Jude 1:16 as a recognized pattern of discontent. The New Testament consistently links this behavior to spiritual rebellion and self-centered ambition.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers examine their own response to unmerited grace or unexpected fairness. It requires a direct confrontation with the heart's tendency to measure worth by labor rather than by the giver's character.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Cross-references
- Luke 19:7 And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
- 1 Thessalonians 2:16 hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.
- Jude 1:16 These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.
- Luke 5:30 But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
- Luke 15:28 The older son became angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
- Acts 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
- Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
- Acts 22:21 Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”