Matthew 21:37-43

21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, ¹  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 ²  they seized him, ³  threw him out of the vineyard, ⁴  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. ⁵ 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁶ 

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people ⁷  who will produce its fruit.

[21:37]  ¹ sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

[21:39]  ² 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.

[21:39]  ³ tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[21:39]  ⁴ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[21:42]  ³ 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.

[21:42]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.

[21:43]  ⁴ tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).