Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’
- BSB ‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’
- NKJV “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’
- NASB Now the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’
- NLT “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’
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 resolves to send his beloved son, hoping the tenants will respect him. God's final messenger is his own Son.
Overview
The "beloved son" clearly points to Jesus, echoing the Father's words at his baptism (3:22). The sending of the son marks God's climactic and costly appeal to his people. The verse reveals both the dignity of Christ and the depth of God's gracious initiative toward sinners.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- John 3:16–17For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- Jer 36:3It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
- Jer 36:7It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.
- 1 Jn 4:9–15In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
- Luke 9:35And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
- John 1:34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
- Hos 6:4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
- Hos 11:8How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
- Isa 5:4What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
- Rom 8:3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
- Gal 4:4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
- Matt 17:5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- John 3:35–36The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:13 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.