He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
Parallel translations
- WEB He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”
- BSB He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”
- NKJV He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
- NASB He will come and put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “May it never happen!”
- NLT “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” “How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.
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
Jesus says the owner will destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others; the people recoil, "May it never be!" Judgment falls on the unfaithful, and God's purpose passes to others.
Overview
The destruction of the tenants points to judgment on the unfaithful leaders, while giving the vineyard to others anticipates the gospel going to all who believe, including the Gentiles. The horrified response shows the hearers grasp the parable's force. God's kingdom advances despite, and through judgment upon, those who reject his Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 19:27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
- Matt 21:41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
- Acts 13:46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
- Ps 2:8–9Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
- Matt 22:7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- Ps 21:8–10Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
- Neh 9:36–37Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
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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 20:16 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.