Mateo 20:3

3 Cerca de las nueve de la mañana,^[a] salió y vio a otros que estaban desocupados en la plaza.

Mateo 20:3 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 20:3

And he went out about the third hour
About nine o'clock in the morning,

and saw others standing idle in the market place:
the place where labourers used to be hired: and may design the world, because a place full of people, and of great wickedness, for the whole world lies in it; a place of trade and traffic in worldly things, and likewise of worldly and carnal pleasure, and also of idleness. Now God's elect before calling, are in this place: they are natives of it, have their conversation according to it: here Christ came in person, and here he sends his ministers, his Gospel, to find them out, and by his Spirit and grace he calls them from hence; so that afterwards they are no more of it, though they are in it: but before conversion they belong to it, and their posture then is standing idle; being sluggish, and slothful in business, unwilling to work, and afraid of a little danger and trouble, sauntering away their time in carnal pleasures, and so clothed with rags, and in a starving, famishing condition: but Christ's eye is upon them; he observes, and takes notice of them in this disagreeable position and situation, and speaks of them in the following manner.

Mateo 20:3 In-Context

1 »Así mismo el reino de los cielos se parece a un propietario que salió de madrugada a contratar obreros para su viñedo.

2 Acordó darles la paga de un día de trabajo y los envió a su viñedo.

3 Cerca de las nueve de la mañana, salió y vio a otros que estaban desocupados en la plaza.

4 Les dijo: “Vayan también ustedes a trabajar en mi viñedo, y les pagaré lo que sea justo”.

5 Así que fueron. Salió de nuevo a eso del mediodía y a la media tarde, e hizo lo mismo.

Footnotes

• [a]. "las nueve de la mañana" . Lit. "la hora tercera" ; en v. 5 "la hora sexta y novena" ; en vv. 6 y 9 "la hora undécima" .