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G1734 · Greek · New Testament
ἑνδέκατος
hendekatos
Adjective (Ordinal Numeral)
Eleventh

Definition

Hendekatos (ἑνδέκατος, G1734) is the ordinal numeral meaning eleventh. From hendeka (eleven) + the ordinal suffix -atos. It appears in Matthew 20:6,9 in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard — the workers hired 'at the eleventh hour' who receive a full day's wage — and in Revelation 21:20 describing the eleventh foundation stone of the New Jerusalem as topaz.

Usage & Theological Significance

The 'eleventh hour' workers of Matthew 20 have given the English language a phrase — but the parable's theology goes far deeper than a last-minute opportunity. Those hired at the eleventh hour (hendekatos) — the final hour before sunset — receive the same wage as those who labored all day. The grumbling of the all-day workers and the gracious response of the landowner expose the economy of grace versus the economy of merit. The kingdom of God does not operate on a labor-for-wages basis but on the sovereign generosity of the Owner: 'I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you... or are you envious because I am generous?' (Matthew 20:14–15). The thief on the cross lived his 'eleventh hour' and entered paradise (Luke 23:43). The late-coming Gentile nations are grafted in at the 'eleventh hour' of redemptive history. Hendekatos is the hour of grace that confounds calculation.

Key Bible Verses

Matthew 20:6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
Matthew 20:9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon (hendekatos hour) came and each received a denarius.
Matthew 20:15 'Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
Revelation 21:20 ...the tenth beryl, the eleventh (hendekatos) topaz, the twelfth amethyst.
Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'

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