And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

But about the eleventh hour, having gone out, he found others standing, and says to them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

And about the eleventh hour, having gone forth, he found others standing idle, and saith to them, Why here have ye stood all the day idle?

And going out about five o'clock he found others loitering, and he asked them, "'Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?'

And about the eleventh hour he went out and saw others doing nothing; and he says to them, Why are you here all the day doing nothing?

Yet truly, about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, 'Why have you stood here idle all day?'

When he went out about five, he found some others standing there, and said to them 'Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?'

The eleventh hour - About five o'clock in the afternoon, or when there was but one working hour of the day left.

Eleventh - Five o'clock in the evening, when there was only one hour before the end of the Jewish day, which, in matters of labor, closed at six.

And about the (b) eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
(b) The last hour: for the day was twelve hours long, and the first hour began at sunrise.

And about the eleventh hour he went out,.... About five o'clock in the afternoon. The Persic version reads it, "the twelfth hour", which was six o'clock in the afternoon, the last hour of the day. The Jews divided their day into twelve hours, John 11:9 and these twelve hours into four parts; Nehemiah 9:3 each part containing three hours, to which division there is a manifest respect in this parable. These different seasons of the husbandman's going out to hire labourers, may have regard either to the several periods of time, and ages of the world, as before the law, under the law, the times of the Messiah, and the last days; or the various dispensations of the Gospel, first by Christ, and John the Baptist to the Jews, then by the apostles to the same in their first mission, afterwards when their commission was renewed, first to the Jews in Judea, and then to the same among the nations of the world, and last of all to the Gentiles; or to the several stages of human life, and may regard Christ's call of persons in childhood, youth, manhood, and old age; which last may be signified by the eleventh hour, as also the Gentiles, and the remainder of God's elect in the last day:
and found others standing idle; in the same place and position as before: for the state and condition of God's elect, by nature, as it is the same with others, it is the same with them all. The word "idle" is omitted here by the Vulgate Latin, the Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but is retained in the Syriac and Persic versions; and stands in the Greek copies:
and saith unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? for being about the eleventh hour, the day was far spent, it was almost gone, a small portion of it remained, but one hour, as appears from Matthew 20:12.

And about the eleventh hour--but one hour before the close of the working day; a most unusual hour both for offering and engaging
and found others standing idle, and saith, Why stand ye here all the day idle?--Of course they had not been there, or not been disposed to offer themselves at the proper time; but as they were now willing, and the day was not over, and "yet there was room," they also are engaged, and on similar terms with all the rest.

About the eleventh hour - That is, very late; long after the rest were called.