Bible Strands
Matthew 20:3
About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The landowner addresses newly recruited laborers in a parable, speaking to them after dispatching the morning crew and before hiring the final group at evening.
The words — ἐξελθὼν (exelthōn) means "having gone out," and ὥραν (hōran) specifies a measured time period, here the third hour of the day.
The thread — The text’s observation of idle workers aligns with 1 Timothy 5:13 and Proverbs 19:15, while the thematic warning against spiritual stagnation corresponds to Ezekiel 16:49, which explicitly ties Sodom’s destruction to arrogance, gluttony, complacency, and the refusal to aid the poor and needy.
Why it lands — The passage requires an immediate response to the employer’s invitation, establishing that the decision to work and the basis for compensation rest solely on the landowner’s authority rather than the workers’ schedule or merit.
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 he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
Cross-references
- 1 Timothy 5:13 At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.
- Proverbs 19:15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
- Ezekiel 16:49 Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.
- Matthew 11:16 To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
- Matthew 20:6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.
- Mark 15:25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.
- Acts 2:15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day!
- Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
- Hebrews 6:12 Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.