Matthew 20:16 — ExegesisTAB

The verse begins with the adverb houtos {οὕτως | hoú-tōs} “thus, in this way,” which signals a summarizing conclusion to the preceding parable. The finite verb esontai {ἔσονται | é-son-tai} “they will be” is explicitly stated in the first clause and then implied by ellipsis in the second clause, a common Greek stylistic feature that avoids repetition. The coordinated nominative phrases hoi eschatoi {οἱ ἔσχατοι | hoi és-kha-toi} “the last” and hoi protoi {οἱ πρῶτοι | hoi prô-toi} “the first” function as substantivized adjectives, serving both as subjects and as predicate nominatives in a balanced structure. The word order places the predicate adjectives eschatoi and protoi immediately after their respective articles, highlighting the contrastive pair. The conjunction kai {καὶ | kaí} simply links the two parallel clauses, while the reversal of positions between eschatoi and protoi across the clauses forms an antithetical parallelism that underscores the theme of eschatological and relational reversal. In translation, the ellipsis of the second esontai is supplied as “will be” or “will end up” to make the English clauses complete while preserving the tight symmetry and paradoxical force of the original.