vineyard

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “vineyard” in English is translated in Noongar as boodjer-djildjiyang, lit. “land for fruit.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also vine.

complete verse (Matthew 20:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:8:

  • Uma: “‘At sunset, the owner of the field said to his supervisor: ‘Call those workers, and give them their wages. First give wages to the people who just began working at five o’clock earlier. After that, give wages to the people who began to work at three o’clock, until [you get] to the people who worked from early morning.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘When it was evening the owner of the land said to his foreman, ‘Call the people who are working and pay them their wages. Take those people last whom I got first.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when it was already night, the man said to his trusted one, ‘Call those who are working and pay them. Pay first those who were last, and then those who were first.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Then when the sun was setting, the land owner said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers to give them their daily wage, starting with the last to go join-in-working until the ones-who-went-first.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When the sun was setting, that owner gave orders to his overseer. He said, ‘Call those casual-workers and pay them all. Start with those last ones I put to work. Those I put to work first, just pay them last.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When evening came the field-owner spoke to his worker who ordered the other workers: ‘Call the workers now and pay them their wages. First give the wages to the workers who were last to come to work. Concerning the workers who worked all day long, let them be the last you give wages to,’ he said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “It was already almost dark and then Throated One [Leader; Elder; Lord] grape farm owner, said to the headman over the disciples [workers] [his steward]: ‘Call the workers and pay their wages to them, starting with the person who came up at the last all the way until the very first person’ says 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 20:8

The owner of the vineyard is shortened to “the owner” by Good News Translation, since this information is clearly implicit.

Steward (Good News Translation, Phillips, Barclay, New American Bible “foreman”) is used elsewhere in the New Testament only in Luke 8.3 and Galatians 4.2, where the meaning differs considerably. Here the person is someone whom the owner of the vineyard has appointed to be in charge of the workmen. It may be translated as “supervisor of the workers” or as “man in charge of the workers.”

Call the laborers and pay them their wages: according to Leviticus 19.13 and Deuteronomy 24.15, day laborers were to be paid each day before sunset for that day’s work, so the scene described is obviously very typical.

Beginning with the last, up to the first is somewhat expanded by Good News Translation for the sake of clarity: “starting with those who were hired last and ending with those who were hired first.” Although beginning with may have the meaning “including,” the interpretation of the text represented by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation is the meaning preferred by most other modern translations as well. This may need to be a separate sentence; for example, “First pay the people we hired last and then others, so the ones we hired first are the last ones you pay.”

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 20:8



Paragraph 20:8–16

20:8a

When evening came: Jesus continued his parable in 20:8. The time in the parable was at least one hour later in the day than 20:7. You should connect 20:1–7 and 20:8 in a way that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to do this:

When evening came (New International Version)
-or-
Then when evening came
-or-
That evening (Contemporary English Version)

evening came: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as evening refers to the end of the day. It could be just before the sun went down, or just after.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

at the end of the day (New Century Version)

the owner of the vineyard: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as owner is the same word that is often translated as “lord.” In this context, it refers to the same person as the word translated “landowner” in 20:1a.

In addition, this word can also provide a link in this story between the actions of the master of the house and the way that the Lord God acts. If possible, translate it as you would the term “lord.” For example:

the lord of the vineyard (King James Version)
-or-
the master of the vineyard

his foreman: A foreman was a man who worked for the owner of the vineyard. He directed the other workers while they worked. The master of the house gave this person the responsibility to make sure that the work was done.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

his manager (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the supervisor (God’s Word)
-or-
the boss of all the workers (New Century Version)
-or-
the big/chief worker

20:8b

Call the workers: This is a command from the owner to the foreman to call the workers to come. The owner had probably gone to the vineyard at the end of the day to give this command to the foreman.

Here are some other ways to translate this command:

Call/Tell the workers ⌊to come⌋
-or-
Summon the workers

pay them their wages: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pay has a general meaning of “give” or “give out.” The foreman was responsible to distribute money to the workers. The money came from the owner, not the foreman.

The owner probably instructed the foreman on what he was to pay each worker. He also told him the order that he was to pay them.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

give them their pay (Revised English Bible)
-or-
give them their money (Contemporary English Version)

20:8c

starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first: These words indicate the order in which the foreman was supposed to pay the workers. The master told the foremen to first pay those who worked only an hour. Then he was supposed to pay those who worked longer. At the end, he was supposed to pay those who worked all day.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

starting with those who were hired last and ending with those who were hired first (Good News Translation)
-or-
Start with the last, and end with the first. (God’s Word)

-or-

First pay the people who began working at 5:00. ⌊After that, pay the people who began to work at 3:00.⌋ Continue until you get to the people who worked from early morning.

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