Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 20:3

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

There were twelve “hours” from dawn to sundown. The third hour (v.3) would be about 9:00 A. M., the sixth about 12:00 noon., and the eleventh about 5:00 P. M. The marketplace would be the central square, where all kinds of business was done and casual labor hired. The third-hour workers are promised “whatever is right”; and, trusting the landowner’s integrity, they work on that basis. The last group were standing around because no one had hired them.