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OET (OET-LV) But he answering of_them said to_one Friend, I_am_ not _doing_wrong to_you.
Not you_agreed_together for_a_daʸnarion_coin with_me?
OET (OET-RV) ‘Buddy,’ he said to one of them, ‘I’m not cheating you. Didn’t you agree to work for me for the daily wage?
In this section, Jesus told a parable about some vineyard workers and the man who owned the vineyard. Even though the workers worked for a different number of hours, the owner gave them all the same pay. This parable continues the discussion about rewards for being a disciple (19:27–29). It also helps to explain the meaning of the saying “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (19:30). The main point of the parable is about God’s grace. In the kingdom, God gives his servants much more than they deserve. In the kingdom, the values are different than the values here on earth.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The story about men who worked in a field of grapes
A story that shows God’s generosity/grace
Rewards for serving God
This parable occurs only in the book of Matthew.
But he answered one of them,
But he answered one of them,
Then the owner said to one of those workers,
But he answered: In this verse, the owner responded to the workers’ complaint. He responded by disagreeing with them. The BSB shows this by starting his response with the conjunction But. In some languages, it will also be natural to begin this verse with a conjunction like But. In other languages, it will not be natural.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
He responded
The owner said (GW)
one of them: The pronoun them refers to the workers who complained. A group of workers complained, but the owner responded to just one of them.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
to one of those workers (NCV)
‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you.
‘Friend, I am being fair/right/just with you(sing).
‘My friend, I have not cheated you(sing).
Friend: The owner responded to one of the workers by calling him Friend. Here are some reasons why the owner probably used this word:
He wanted to show in a friendly way that he did not agree with him.
He was using a mild rebuke.
Use a word or phrase in your language that has a similar function. For example:
My friend/comrade
Listen, friend (GNT)
I am not being unfair to you: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as I am not being unfair to you is more literally “I am not being unjust to you.” In this context, the master is saying that he has not cheated the worker.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
I have not cheated you (GNT)
I am being fair to you. (NCV)
I have not deceived/tricked you.
you: In Greek, this pronoun is singular.
Did you not agree with me on one denarius?
You agreed with me to work for a denarius coin, did you not?
Remember, you agreed to do a day’s work for me for the normal wage/pay.
Did you not agree with me on one denarius?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that the master and the worker had agreed on a denarius.
There are two ways to translate this emphasis:
As a rhetorical question expecting a “Yes” response. For example:
You and I agreed to a denarius for the day, did we not?
We agree on a denarius, isn’t it so?
As a statement. The statement could follow a short command. For example:
You and I agreed that I would pay you a denarius.
Remember, you agreed that I would pay you normal day’s wage.
Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς ἑνί αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε οὐκ ἀδικῶ σέ Οὐχί δηναρίου συνεφώνησας μοί)
Here, the word But introduces what the master of the house said in contrast with what the workers were saying. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces this kind of contrast, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [In response,] or [In contrast,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes
ἑνὶ αὐτῶν εἶπεν, ἑταῖρε, οὐκ ἀδικῶ σε οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς ἑνί αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε οὐκ ἀδικῶ σέ Οὐχί δηναρίου συνεφώνησας μοί)
Alternate translation: [called one of them his friend and said to him that he was not wronging him and that he had agreed with him for a denarius.]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
σε & συνεφώνησάς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς ἑνί αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε οὐκ ἀδικῶ σέ Οὐχί δηναρίου συνεφώνησας μοί)
Because the master of the house is speaking to one of the workers, the word you throughout this verse is singular.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς ἑνί αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε οὐκ ἀδικῶ σέ Οὐχί δηναρίου συνεφώνησας μοί)
The master of the house is using the question form to remind the worker what he agreed to do. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [You remember that you agreed with me for a denarius] or [You certainly agreed with me for a denarius!]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
δηναρίου & μοι
˱for˲_˓a˒_denarius & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς ἑνί αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε οὐκ ἀδικῶ σέ Οὐχί δηναρίου συνεφώνησας μοί)
The master of the house implies that the worker agreed to work for a denarius. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [me to work for a denarius]
20:1-16 This parable is similar to the parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32). In both, God’s grace is shown to two parties while one grumbles about unjust treatment.
OET (OET-LV) But he answering of_them said to_one Friend, I_am_ not _doing_wrong to_you.
Not you_agreed_together for_a_daʸnarion_coin with_me?
OET (OET-RV) ‘Buddy,’ he said to one of them, ‘I’m not cheating you. Didn’t you agree to work for me for the daily wage?
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.