Matthew 20:3

KJV1611 – Modern English

And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ ἐξελθὼν περὶ τήν τρίτην ὥραν, εἶδεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς,

Transliteration

And having exelthōn about the tritēn hōran, he eiden others hestōtas in the agora argous,

Grammar Details

• *exelthōn*: aorist participle, nominative, masculine, singular - having gone out
• *tritēn*: accusative, feminine, singular - third
• *hōran*: accusative, feminine, singular - hour
• *eiden*: aorist, 3rd singular - saw
• *hestōtas*: perfect participle, accusative, masculine, plural - standing
• *agora*: dative, feminine, singular - marketplace
• *argous*: accusative, masculine, plural - idle/unemployed

Word Meanings

• *peri tēn tritēn hōran*: around the third hour (about 9:00 am)
• *agora*: marketplace/public square
• *argous*: idle/unemployed/without work

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  About the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And he went out about the thyrde houre and sawe other stonding ydell in the marketplace

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And aboute ye thirde houre he wente out, and sawe other stondinge ydle in the market place,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And he went out about the third houre, & sawe other standing idle in the market place,

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he went out about the thirde houre, and sawe other standyng idle in the market place,

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ‹And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,›

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He went out about the third hour,{Time was measured from sunrise to sunset, so the third hour would be about 9:00 AM.} and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `And having gone forth about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market-place idle,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others in the market-place doing nothing;

• World English Bible (2000)

  He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace without work.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Tim 5:13 : 13 And besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossipers and busybodies, speaking things they ought not.
• Heb 6:12 : 12 That you not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
• Prov 19:15 : 15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
• Ezek 16:49 : 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
• Matt 11:16-17 : 16 But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the markets, and calling to their fellows, 17 And saying, We have played the flute for you, and you have not danced; we have mourned for you, and you have not lamented.
• Matt 20:6-7 : 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle? 7 They said to him, Because no man has hired us. He said to them, Go also into the vineyard; and whatever is right, that you shall receive.
• Mark 15:25 : 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
• Acts 2:15 : 15 These are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
• Acts 17:17-21 : 17 Therefore he disputed in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What does this babbler want to say? Others said, He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods, because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine is that you speak of? 20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears: we want to know what these things mean. 21 For all the Athenians and foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else, but to tell or to hear some new thing.