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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 20:11 And when they had received [it],

A parable comparing the realm of the skies to hiring workers throughout the day.

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 20:11  λαβόντες δὲ ἐγόγγυζον κατὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου λέγοντες

KJV Verse

Matthew 20:11 And when they had received [it], they murmured against the goodman of the house, [Saying]

NIV Verse:

Matthew 20:11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

What His Listeners Heard:

Getting, however, they grumbled concerning the housemasters, saying

Lost In Translation:

A great, very funny word is used in this verse the only time by Jesus. It is translated as "murmured/grumbled" but the word reads funny in any language, goggyzon. The tense is the simple past, which is odd because this parable is mostly told in the special tense, "at that time" of Greek, with some lapses into the present tense and past perfect. This word, however, indicates an activity that started in the past but wasn't completed. So, the grumbling continues until today. Which is funny. 

The "saying" here that ends the verse better belongs with the next verse. It did in the KJV version, but not in the older Greek sources.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And(WW) when(IW) they had(WT) received(WF) [it], they murmured against [the goodman of the house(CW)], [Saying]

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.