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He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
Luke 20:11 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
  • BSB So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.
  • NKJV Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.
  • NASB And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.
  • NLT So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The owner sends another servant, who is also beaten, shamed, and sent away empty. God patiently sent prophet after prophet, yet they were rejected.

Overview

The repeated sending underscores God's long-suffering patience toward his rebellious people. The escalating mistreatment of the servants mirrors the increasing hostility shown to the prophets across Israel's history. God's persistence in calling his people highlights both his mercy and their hardness.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Heb 11:36–37Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.
  • Matt 23:30–37and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
  • 1 Th 2:2but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.
  • Hos 10:1Israel is a luxuriant vine that produces his fruit. According to the abundance of his fruit he has multiplied his altars. As their land has prospered, they have adorned their sacred stones.
  • Acts 7:52Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 20:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 20:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.