But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Parallel translations
- WEB But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
- BSB Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
- NKJV Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
- NASB But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
- NLT “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
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
Finally the owner sends his own son, expecting respect. This points unmistakably to God sending His Son, Jesus.
Overview
The sending of the beloved son is the climax of the parable and a clear self-reference by Jesus to His unique relationship to the Father. The owner's words 'They will respect my son' express the rightful honor due the Son. This verse moves the parable from Israel's past into the present crisis of how the leaders will treat Jesus Himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- John 3:35–36The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
- Zeph 3:7I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
- 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?
- Heb 1:1–2God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
- Mark 12:6Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
- Matt 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- John 1:34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
- Luke 20:13Then 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.
- John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
- 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.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 21:37 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.