And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
Parallel translations
- WEB Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some.
- BSB He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.
- NKJV And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.
- NASB And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.
- NLT The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed,
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 still more servants, some beaten and some killed.
Overview
The mounting violence, now including murder, recalls how prophets like Zechariah and others were slain (2 Chronicles 24:21; Matthew 23:37). God's repeated sending shows extraordinary patience, while the tenants' growing brutality shows hardened sin. The stage is set for the climactic sending of the son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mark 9:13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
- Matt 23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
- Matt 21:35–36And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
- Matt 5:12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
- Jer 7:25–28Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
- Neh 9:30Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
- Luke 6:22–23Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
- Matt 22:6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
- Luke 6:36Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 12:5 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.