Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 20:3

"And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;" — Matthew 20:3 (ASV)

About the third hour—Reckoning the day in the Jewish manner, as beginning at 6 a.m., this would bring us to 8 a.m. The town's "marketplace" was the natural place where those seeking casual labor could be found waiting for employment. In the parable's underlying meaning, we may see a reference to those who, like St. Matthew (Matthew 9:9) and the disciples called in Matthew 8:19-22, were summoned after the sons of Jonas and of Zebedee.