20:13a
But he answered: In this verse, the owner responded to the workers’ complaint. He responded by disagreeing with them. The Berean Standard Bible 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
-or-
The owner said (God’s Word)
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 (New Century Version)
20:13b
Friend: The owner responded to one of the workers by calling him Friend. Here are some reasons why the owner probably used this word:
(a) He wanted to show in a friendly way that he did not agree with him.
(b) He was using a mild rebuke.
Use a word or phrase in your language that has a similar function. For example:
My friend/comrade
-or-
Listen, friend (Good News Translation)
I am not being unfair to you: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible 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 (Good News Translation)
-or-
I am being fair to you. (New Century Version)
-or-
I have not deceived/tricked you.
you: In Greek, this pronoun is singular.
20:13c
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?
-or-
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.
-or-
⌊Remember,⌋ you agreed that I would pay you normal day’s wage.
Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.
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