Bible Strands
Matthew 21:29
‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The father in Jesus’ parable addresses his first son at the moment the father issues a direct command to work in the vineyard.
The words — ἀποκριθεὶς (apokritheis) translates as “answering,” and ὕστερον (husteron) means “afterward,” capturing the son’s initial refusal followed by a delayed compliance.
The thread — The pattern of delayed repentance and subsequent obedience echoes Ezekiel 18:28, where turning from transgression leads to life, and contrasts with the unheeding response recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:10.
Why it lands — The verse demands immediate alignment of action with spoken commitment, showing that delayed obedience still fulfills the command but highlights the cost of hesitation.
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
He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.
- 2 Chronicles 33:10 And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.
- Isaiah 1:16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
- Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
- Jeremiah 44:16 “As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
- Daniel 4:34 But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
- Jonah 3:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”
- Jonah 3:8 Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.
- Matthew 3:2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
- Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.