Luke 20:12
What does Luke 20:12 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 20:12 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 20:12 means
Despite the brutal treatment of the first two servants, the owner, with remarkable patience, sent a third. Yet, this servant too was wounded and violently thrown out of the vineyard. The tenants' actions demonstrate their hardened hearts and utter contempt for the owner's rights and property. This repeated violence against the owner's representatives emphasizes the escalating rejection of God's messengers by the leaders of Israel, who not only ignored the prophetic warnings but inflicted physical harm upon those who delivered them, sealing their own condemnation through persistent unbelief.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And he sent a third, and they gave him wounds and put him out.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and he added to send a third, and this one also, having wounded, they did cast out.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And again he sent the third: and they wounded him also and cast him out.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And again he sent a third; and they, having wounded him also, cast [him] out.
Context
This verse portrays the third and final rejection of the owner's servants, escalating the violence and defiance of the tenants. It emphasizes the owner's extraordinary patience and the tenants' unyielding wickedness. This repeated rejection of the ordinary servants builds towards the climactic decision of the owner to send his son, which will ultimately lead to the parable's most profound and tragic point.
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