Matthew Chapter 20 verse 2 Holy Bible

ASV Matthew 20:2

And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
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BBE Matthew 20:2

And when he had made an agreement with the workmen for a penny a day, he sent them into his vine-garden.
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DARBY Matthew 20:2

And having agreed with the workmen for a denarius the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
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KJV Matthew 20:2

And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
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WBT Matthew 20:2


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WEB Matthew 20:2

When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius{A denarius is a silver Roman coin worth 1/25th of a Roman aureus. This was a common wage for a day of farm labor.} a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
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YLT Matthew 20:2

and having agreed with the workmen for a denary a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 2. - When he had agreed with the labourers. With those first hired he makes a special agreement for the pay of the day's work; with the others he acts differently. For a penny a day (ἐκ ηηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν). The denarius (always translated "a penny" in our version) was a silver coin about equal in value to the French franc, but of course in its buying capacities worth in those days a great deal more. We learn from Tacitus ('Annal.,' 1:17) that it was the usual pay of a Roman soldier. It was equivalent to the Greek drachma, which Tobit (5:14) offered to Azarias as daily wages. Our rendering of "a penny" conveys a very erroneous impression to unlearned hearers, both in this passage and in other places where it occurs.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(2) A penny a day.--Measured by its weight, the "penny--i.e., the Roman denarius, then the common standard of value in Palestine--was, as nearly as possible, sevenpence-halfpenny of our coinage. Its real equivalent, however, is to be found in its purchasing power, and, as the average price of the unskilled labour of the tiller of the soil, it may fairly be reckoned as equal to about half-a-crown of our present currency. It was, that is, in itself, an adequate and just payment.