Matthew 21:33-34

Context

The Parable of the Tenants

21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner¹ who planted a vineyard.² He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then³ he leased it to tenant farmers⁴ and went on a journey. 21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves⁵ to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop.⁶

[21:33] ¹tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.

[21:33] ²sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[21:33] ³tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[21:33] ⁴sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.

[21:34] ⁵tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[21:34] ⁶tn Grk “to collect his fruits.”