Matthew 20:1-34

Before continuing with chapter 20, let us re-read the previous verses because Jesus is in the middle of teaching and explaining:

Matthew 19:27-30:

^.27Then Peter having answered said to him, “Look!, we left all-things and followed you, what consequently will there be to us?” ^.28And Jesus said to them, “With-certainty I say to you that you, the (people) having followed me – in the re-genesis whenever the son of man may sit-down on his throne of glory – will sit-down, even you, on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, ^.29and every person-who left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields by-reason-of my name will receive a hundred-times and will inherit eternal life. ^.30But many first-people will be last and last-people first….”

Matthew 20:1-7:

^20:1“…For the kingdom of the heavens is like a house-master man he-who went-out unitedly early to hire workers for-himself into his vineyard, ^.2and having agreed with the workers from a denarius (for) the day he apostled them into his vineyard. ^.3And having gone-out around (the) third hour he saw others workless having stood² in the marketplace, ^.4and to those he said, ‘You must go, even you, into the vineyard and that-which if-ever may be righteous I will give to you,’ ^.5and the (others) went-away. Again having gone-out around (the) sixth and ninth hour he did likewise. ^.6But around the eleventh (hour) having gone-out he found others having stood², and he says to them, ‘Why did you stand² here the whole day workless?’ ^.7They say to him, ‘Because not-one-person hired us for-himself.’ He says to them, ‘You must go, even you, into the vineyard.’

Jesus continues: in truth, the kingdom of the heavens (God’s kingdom) is similar to:

…a man who is a house-master (the sovereign master or lord of those within the house, the absolute master of the house, the despot, the one who has absolute dominion, supreme authority, and unlimited power within his house)…

he-who went out with the early time of day to hire workers for himself (to engage the services of people who work, who expend their energy doing things for others to receive pay, wages, compensation in return) into his vineyard, and having agreed with the workers from a denarius for the day (when he symphonized, sounded together like a symphony being musically harmonious, spoke in unison, spoke the same thing together in company and association with them, which was that he would pay them a denarius for the day’s work), he apostled them (sent them forth on this specific assignment or mission) into his vineyard.
And having gone out around the third hour (about 9 am) he saw/perceived others (other workers who were not at the place to be hired by him when he went out earlier) who were workless (without work, not expending energy, idle, inactive) having stood and were still standing in the marketplace (these were in a public-place in the city where people would convene for different reasons, such as trading, business, public speaking, etc, courts or forums were held there from time to time), and to those he said, ‘You must go, even you (you must lead yourselves under, in the sense of going without any argument, under cover, as animals go because they are under a yoke without going from side to side or intentionally stopping to do something else – emphatically you must go) into the vineyard and that-which would be righteous (right, just) I will give to you,’ and these others went away from where they were into the vineyard.
Again having gone-out around the sixth (about 12 noon) and ninth (about 3 pm) hour he did likewise (as the same, in the same way).
But around the eleventh hour (about 5 pm) having gone-out he found others who had stood and were still standing, and he says to them, ‘Why did you stand² here the whole day workless?’ They say to him, ‘Because not-one-person hired us for himself (no-one, nobody engaged our services to work for them for wages, compensation).’ He says to them, ‘You must go, even you, into the vineyard.’

When reading this we should realize that a full 24-hour period was from around 6 pm until 6 pm, with the “daytime” hours ranging from about 6 am in the morning until 6 pm in the evening because after the setting of the sun began the next 24-hour period.

[Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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Matthew Chapter 21