Matthew 21:38-44

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 ¹  they seized him, ²  threw him out of the vineyard, ³  and killed him. 21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 21:41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ⁴ 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁵ 

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people ⁶  who will produce its fruit. 21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” ⁷ 

¹ 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.

² tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

³ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

⁴ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.

⁶ tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).

⁷ tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sy^s Or Eus^syr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy^c,p,h co and should be included as authentic.