we have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat

The Greek in Matthew 20:12 that is translated as “we have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat” or similar in English is translated in Chichewa (interconfessional translation) with the existing idiom “we have been broken off [like a twig] with respect to work, and the sun has spent its strength upon us.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 131)

formal 2nd person pronoun (Spanish)

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Spanish uses a formal vs. informal second-person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Spanish Bibles all use only the informal second-person pronoun (tú), with the exception of Dios Habla Hoy (third edition: 1996) which also uses the formal pronoun (usted). In the referenced verses, the formal form is used.

Sources and for more information: P. Ellingworth in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 143ff. and R. Ross in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 217ff. .

See also the use of the formal vs. the informal pronoun in the Gospels in Tuvan and 2nd person pronoun with high register.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Matt. 20:12)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the landowner).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Matthew 20:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:12:

  • Uma: “‘The ones who just to work at the end, only one hour they worked. Yet we, we worked all day long, shined-on by the blazing sun. Why did you (sing.) pay them the same as us?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “they said, ‘Those people worked only for one hour but we worked all day long enduring the hot sun, and then you make the wages the same for us as for them.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “‘These last ones, a single hour is all they worked, and as for us, we endured the great heat for the whole day. And you paid them just the same as you paid us.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘These last, it was only-one hour that they worked while as-for us (excl.) we (excl.) endured working in the excessive sunshine the entire day. Why then did you (sing.) make-our (excl.) daily-wage -the-same?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Why did you pay us all the same, since they only worked for one hour? Not like us (excl.) who worked all day and also were all day out in the scorching heat. Why have you made our wages the same?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “They said: ‘These men were the last to arrive to work. Just one is all they worked, how come you have paid us the same as them? We have suffered through all the day working in the sun,’ they said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “‘The last people who came did work for only one strike [hour]. But we worked the whole day, under the hot sun but Throated One [Leader; Elder; Lord] You Why did you pay the same amount of money?’ said he.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

The Late-Arriving Workers

Following is a 1973 painting of the JESUS MAFA project, a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

Translation commentary on Matthew 20:12

The text has saying. Whether translators have “grumbled by saying,” or start a new sentence with “They said,” or retain saying will depend on the receptor language.

These last worked only one hour: commentators note that the laborers are so indignant that they omit any form of polite address when making accusations against their employer. This is in contrast to the polite form of address used by their employer in verse 13. These last is translated “These men who were hired last” by Good News Translation; New Jerusalem Bible and Barclay have “The men who came last,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “The others who came last,” and New English Bible “These latecomers.”

Only one hour (so also Good News Translation) is literally “one hour,” but English requires the use of only or of some equivalent form in order to make the comparison.

And you have made them equal to us: the equalization is that of wages, which may be rendered “yet you paid them the same as you paid us!” (Good News Translation) and “and you have treated them the same as us” (New Jerusalem Bible, Barclay).

Who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat is placed prior to the previous clause by Good News Translation in order to make the contrast more effective, though most translations retain the sentence order of the Greek. New English Bible, maintaining the original clause order, translates “who have sweated the whole day long in the blazing sun.” Some translators start a new sentence here, as in “And yet we are the ones who worked all day in the heat of the sun.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 20:12



20:12a

These men who were hired last: This phrase refers to the last men whom the master hired. These were the men whom he hired at 5 o’clock.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

These last workers (God’s Word)
-or-
These men who were hired last (New International Version)
-or-
These ⌊men whom you hired⌋ last

This phrase is an important link to the topic of the “first will be last, and the last will be first” (see 19:30). It is important to keep the word last here.

worked only one hour: The phrase one hour refers to a short period of time compared to the twelve hours that the first men worked.

The word only is not in the Greek text, but most English versions include it. This word helps to make clear that the men were complaining.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

worked only for a short time
-or-
worked only at the end

20:12b

and: In 20:12b, the first men complain of an unexpected result. The last men worked only one hour. So the first men expected that less work would result in less pay. But the master paid the last workers the same as the first workers.

Here are some other ways to introduce this unexpected result:

But (New Century Version)
-or-
Yet (God’s Word)

you have made them equal to us: This clause means that the master acted towards the last workers in the same way as he did the first workers. In this context, it refers to the master giving the same amount of money to the last workers as he gave to the first workers.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

You treated them in the same way that you treated us
-or-
you paid them the same that you did us (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us (New Living Translation (2004))

The first workers did not complain about how much money they received. Rather they were jealous that those hired last got the same amount.

them: The pronoun them refers to the last workers whom the master hired.

us: The pronoun us refers to the first group of workers whom the master hired. It does not refer to any other workers. If you have inclusive and exclusive pronouns in your language, choose the pronoun that refers to the first group.

20:12c

Verse 20:12c is a relative clause. It is a sentence that explains something about the pronoun “us” in 20:12b. In some languages, it will be more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

We bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat.

who have borne the burden: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as borne means “carry.” To “carry the burden of the day” is figurative speech. It refers to doing a day of hard work. The first workers worked hard all day, not the last workers. The first workers did most of the work that day. In that sense, they carried the burden.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

we worked hard all day (God’s Word)
-or-
We have done most of the work…all day (NIRV)
-or-
We endured working all day

and the scorching heat of the day: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scorching heat comes from a verb that means “burn up.” It refers to the heat of the middle of the day when the sun is shining strongly. The ones hired last did not experience the hot sun when they worked.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in the hot sun (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
in all the heat (New Jerusalem Bible)

-or-

while it was hot

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