Matthew 21:35-39

21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, ¹  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, ²  saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So ³  they seized him, ⁴  threw him out of the vineyard, ⁵  and killed him.

¹ sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

² sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

⁴ tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

⁵ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.