Bible Commentaries

For (γαρ — gar). The parable of the house illustrates the aphorism in Matthew 19:30.

A man that is a householder (αντρωπωι οικοδεσποτηι — anthrōpōi oikodespotēi). Just like αντρωπωι βασιλει — anthrōpōi basilei (Matthew 18:23). Not necessary to translate αντρωπωι — anthrōpōi just “a householder.”

Early in the morning (αμα πρωι — hama prōi). A classic idiom. αμα — Hama as an “improper” preposition is common in the papyri. Πρωι — Prōi is just an adverb in the locative. At the same time with early dawn, break of day, country fashion for starting to work.

To hire (μιστωσασται — misthōsasthai). The middle voice aorist tense, to hire for oneself.

For a penny a day (εκ δηναριου την ημεραν — ek dēnariou tēn hēmeran). See note on Matthew 18:28. “Penny” is not adequate, “shilling” Moffatt has it. The ek with the ablative represents the agreement (sunphōnēsas) with the workmen (εκ — ergatōn). “The day” the Greek has it, an accusative of extent of time.

Standing in the marketplace idle (εστωτας αγοραι αργους — hestōtas agorāi argous). The market place was the place where men and masters met for bargaining. At Hamadan in Persia, Morier in Second Journey through Persia, as cited by Trench in his Parables, says: “We observed every morning, before the sun rose, that a numerous band of peasants were collected, with spades in their hands, waiting to be hired for the day to work in the surrounding fields.”

Whatsoever is right (ο εαν ηι δικαιον — ho ean ēi dikaion). “Is fair” (Allen), not anything he pleased, but a just proportionate wage. Indefinite relative with subjunctive εαναν — ean̂an f0).

All the day idle (ολην την ημεραν αργοι — holēn tēn hēmeran argoi). Extent of time (accusative) again. Αργοι — Argoi is α — a privative and εργον — ergon work, no work. The problem of the unemployed.

Every man a penny (ανα δηναριον και αυτοι — ana dēnarion kai autoi). Literally, “themselves also a denarius apiece” (distributive use of ανα — ana). Bruce asks if this householder was a humorist when he began to pay off the last first and paid each one a denarius according to agreement. False hopes had been raised in those who came first who got only what they had agreed to receive.

They murmured (εγογγυζον — egogguzon). Onomatopoetic word, the meaning suiting the sound. Our words murmur and grumble are similar. Probably here inchoative imperfect, began to grumble. It occurs in old Ionic and in the papyri.

Equal unto us (ισους αυτους ημιν — isous autous hēmin). Associative instrumental case ημιν — hēmin after ισους — isous It was a regular protest against the supposed injustice of the householder.

The burden of the day and the scorching wind (το βαρος της ημερας και τον καυσωνα — to baros tēs hēmeras kai ton kausōna). These last “did” work for one hour. Apparently they worked as hard as any while at it. A whole day‘s work on the part of these sweat-stained men who had stood also the sirocco, the hot, dry, dust-laden east wind that blasted the grain in Pharaoh‘s dream (Genesis 41:6), that withered Jonah‘s gourd (Jonah 4:8), that blighted the vine in Ezekiel‘s parable (Ezekiel 17:10). They seemed to have a good case.

To one of them (ενι αυτων — heni autōn). Evidently the spokesman of the group. “Friend” (εταιρε — hetaire). Comrade. So a kindly reply to this man in place of an address to the whole gang. Genesis 31:40; Job 27:21; Hosea 13:15. The word survives in modern Greek.

Take up (αρον — aron). First aorist active imperative of αιρω — airō Pick up, as if he had saucily refused to take it from the table or had contemptuously thrown the denarius on the ground. If the first had been paid first and sent away, there would probably have been no murmuring, but “the murmuring is needed to bring out the lesson” (Plummer). The δηναριυς — dēnarius was the common wage of a day labourer at that time.

What I will (ο τελω — ho thelō). This is the point of the parable, the will of the householder.

With mine own (εν τοις εμοις — en tois emois). In the sphere of my own affairs. There is in the Koiné an extension of the instrumental use of εν — en f0).

Is thine eye evil? (ο οπταλμος σου πονηρος εστιν — ho ophthalmos sou ponēros estiṅ) See note on Matthew 6:22-24 about the evil eye and the good eye. The complainer had a grudging eye while the householder has a liberal or generous eye. See note on Romans 5:7 for a distinction between dikaios and agathos f0).

The last first and the first last (οι εσχατοι πρωτοι και οι πρωτοι εσχατοι — hoi eschātoi prōtoi kai hoi prōtoi eschatoi). The adjectives change places as compared with Matthew 19:30. The point is the same, though this order suits the parable better. After all one‘s work does not rest wholly on the amount of time spent on it. “Even so hath Rabbi Bun bar Chija in twenty-eight years wrought more than many studious scholars in a hundred years” (Jer. Berak. ii. 5c).

Apart (κατ ιδιαν — kat' idian). This is the prediction in Matthew of the cross (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Matthew 20:17). “Aside by themselves” (Moffatt). The verb is παρελαβεν — parelaben Jesus is having his inward struggle (Mark 10:32) and makes one more effort to get the Twelve to understand him.

And to crucify (και σταυρωσαι — kai staurōsai). The very word now. The details fall on deaf ears, even the point of the resurrection on the third day.

Then (τοτε — tote). Surely an inopportune time for such a request just after the pointed prediction of Christ‘s crucifixion. Perhaps their minds had been preoccupied with the words of Jesus (Matthew 19:28) about their sitting on twelve thrones taking them in a literal sense. The mother of James and John, probably Salome, possibly a sister of the Master‘s mother (John 19:25), apparently prompted her two sons because of the family relationship and now speaks for them.

Asking a certain thing (αιτουσα τι — aitousa ti). “Asking something,” “plotting perhaps when their Master was predicting” (Bruce). The “something” put forward as a small matter was simply the choice of the two chief thrones promised by Jesus (John 19:28).

Ye know not what ye ask (ουκ οιδατε τι αιτειστε — ouk oidate ti aiteisthe). How often that is true. Αιτειστε — Aiteisthe is indirect middle voice, “ask for yourselves,” “a selfish request.”

We are able (δυναμετα — dunametha). Amazing proof of their ignorance and self-confidence. Ambition had blinded their eyes. They had not caught the martyr spirit.

Ye shall drink (πιεστε — piesthe). Future middle from πινω — pinō Christ‘s cup was martyrdom. James was the first of the Twelve to meet the martyr‘s death (Acts 12:2) and John the last if reports are true about him. How little they knew what they were saying.

Moved with indignation (ηγανακτησαν — ēganaktēsan). A strong word for angry resentment. In the papyri. The ten felt that James and John had taken advantage of their relation to Jesus.

Called them unto him (προσκαλεσαμενος αυτους — proskalesamenos autous). Indirect middle again, calling to him.

Would become great (ος αν τεληι μεγας γενεσται — hos an thelēi megas genesthai). Jesus does not condemn the desire to become great. It is a laudable ambition. There are “great ones” (μεγαλοι — megaloi) among Christians as among pagans, but they do not “lord it over” one another (κατακυριευουσιν — katakurieuousin), a lxx word and very expressive, or “play the tyrant” (κατεχουσιαζουσιν — katexousiazousin), another suggestive word.

Your minister (μων διακονος — hūmōn diakonos). This word may come from δια — dia and κονις — konis (dust), to raise a dust by one‘s hurry, and so to minister. It is a general word for servant and is used in a variety of ways including the technical sense of our “deacon” in Philemon 1:1. But it more frequently is applied to ministers of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 3:5). The way to be “first” (πρωτος — prōtos), says Jesus, is to be your “servant” (δουλος — doulos), “bond-servant” (Matthew 20:27). This is a complete reversal of popular opinion then and now.

A ransom for many (λυτρον αντι πολλων — lutron anti pollōn). The Son of man is the outstanding illustration of this principle of self-abnegation in direct contrast to the self-seeking of James and John. The word translated “ransom” is the one commonly employed in the papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free by the one who bought him, the purchase money for manumitting slaves. See examples in Moulton and Milligan‘s Vocabulary and Deissmann‘s Light from the Ancient East, pp. 328f. There is the notion of exchange also in the use of αντι — anti Jesus gave his own life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin. There are those who refuse to admit that Jesus held this notion of a substitutionary death because the word in the N.T. occurs only here and the corresponding passage in Mark 10:45. But that is an easy way to get rid of passages that contradict one‘s theological opinions. Jesus here rises to the full consciousness of the significance of his death for men.

From Jericho (απο Ιερειχω — apo Iereichō). So Mark 10:46. But Luke (Luke 18:35) places the incident as they were drawing near to Jericho (εις Ιερειχω — eis Iereichō). It is probable that Mark and Matthew refer to the old Jericho, the ruins of which have been discovered, while Luke alludes to the new Roman Jericho. The two blind men were apparently between the two towns. Mark (Mark 10:46) and Luke (Luke 18:35) mention only one blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark). In Kentucky there are two towns about a half mile apart both called Pleasureville (one Old Pleasureville, the other New Pleasureville).

That Jesus was passing by (οτι Ιησους παραγει — hoti Iēsous paragei). These men “were sitting by the wayside” (κατημενοι παρα τεν οδον — kathēmenoi para ten hodon) at their regular stand. They heard the crowd yelling that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by (παραγει — paragei present indicative of direct discourse retained in the indirect). It was their one opportunity, now or never. They had heard of what he had done for other blind men. They hail him as “the son of David” (the Messiah). It is just one of many such incidents when Jesus stood still and opened their eyes, so many that even the multitude was impatient with the cries of these poor men that their eyes be opened (ανοιγωσιν — anoigōsin second aorist passive subjunctive).

Touched their eyes (ηπσατο των ομματων — hēpsato tōn ommatōn). A synonym for οπταλμων — ophthalmōn in Mark 8:23 and here alone in the N.T. In the lxx and a common poetic word (Euripides) and occurs in the papyri. In modern Greek ματια μου — matia mou (abbreviation) means “light of my eye,” “my darling.” The verb απτομαι — haptomai is very common in the Synoptic Gospels. The touch of Christ‘s hand would sooth the eyes as they were healed.