Matthew 20:7 — ExegesisTAB

The verse is structured as two brief dialogue exchanges marked by the present narrative verbs legousin {λέγουσιν | légousin} “they say” and legei {λέγει | légei} “he says,” which convey vivid, ongoing action in the story. The dative pronouns autō {αὐτῷ | autôi} “to him” and autois {αὐτοῖς | autoîs} “to them” specify the direction of speech within the conversation. The particle hoti {Ὅτι | hóti} introduces the content of the workers’ response, which can be rendered either as indirect discourse (“that no one has hired us”) or as the causal explanation embedded in their quoted words (“Because no one has hired us”); the translation adopts the latter to reflect their justification for standing idle. The indefinite oudeis {οὐδεὶς | oudeís} “no one” placed before the object hēmas {ἡμᾶς | hēmâs} “us” underscores the complete lack of opportunity. The aorist middle verb emistōsato {ἐμισθώσατο | emisthṓsato} “hired” summarizes a past hiring decision, with the middle voice reflecting involvement in arranging the contract. In the second half, the imperative hypagete {Ὑπάγετε | hypágete} “go” functions as a directive from the landowner, while the coordinated phrase kai hymeis {καὶ ὑμεῖς | kaí hyméis} “you also” highlights the inclusion of these previously unemployed workers. The prepositional phrase eis ton ampelōna {εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα | eis tòn ampelôna} “into the vineyard” specifies the shared place of labor with the earlier groups. The English renderings preserve the two distinct speech units, maintain the emphatic “no one,” and reflect the inclusive force of “you also” by keeping the simple imperative “go” with an explicit destination.