divided into these two classes ; for all are reckoned amongst the first, who came before the eleventh hour ; see ver. 9, 10.
9. 'Am, apiece) See John ii. 6.
10. O/ vpZroi, the first) The intermediate labourers did not murmur ; for they saw themselves also made equal to the first. He who is liable to be envied himself, is less likely to envy others. — crXf/ova, more) sc. denarii, i.e. twelve denarii for twelve hours.
11. 'Eyoyyu£o)>, murmured) Cf. Luke xv. 28—30.
12. OVTOI, x.r.X., these, etc.) Envy is frequently more anxious to take from another than to obtain for itself. They envy, not those of the ninth, sixth, and third, but only those of the eleventh hour. — o/ e'o^aro/, the last) The labourers use this ex pression from envy. — ivoinaav, have spent) See Acts xv. 33.1 — fi/jkft, to us) They speak also for those who had come at the intermediate hours, and who, though they had borne a less burthen than that of the whole day, had yet endured the mid day heat. — ftdpog, burthen) internally, of labour. — rris tj^spag, of the day) sc. the whole. — xavsuva, heat) externally, of the sun.
13. 'Ev/, to one) who was a sample of the rest of the mur- murers. Cf. concerning one, the Gnomon on ch. xxii. 11. — kraTps, friend) An expression used also to those with whom we are not on friendly or intimate terms.2
14. Td (rtv, that ichich is THINE) There is an evident contrast intended between these words and ev ro/g l^o/f, with MY OWN, in the following verse. — ucraye, Depart) This expression is not ad dressed to those who came at the eleventh hour. — SiXw, / will) The force of this word is very great.3 See ver. 15, and cf.
1 no<jj<7«;/T£? — xpovav, Having tarried a space : as voiia is here taken by Beng. and the margin of our Engl. Bible of continuance of time, " These last have continued one hour only." — ED.
2 " tr»lpt, at first sight a friendly word merely, assumes a more solemn aspect when we recollect that it is used in ch. xxii. 12, to the guest who had not the wedding garment; and in ch. xxvi. 50, by our Lord to Judas." Alford in loc.— (I. B )
Oi/x. £lix.a at, I do thee no wrong) To do wrong to GOD is bad ; but it is even worse to suppose one's self wronged by GOD : and this happens more often than is generally supposed. — V. g.
3 i.e. denoting the absolute freedom of GOD'S Grace, and the entire sove reignty of His Will.— (I. B.)