Luke 20:16
What does Luke 20:16 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 20:16 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 20:16 means
Jesus answers His own question, declaring the inevitable judgment: the owner "will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others." This pronouncement signifies God's righteous judgment against those who reject His Son. The destruction of the wicked tenants foreshadows the coming judgment upon Jerusalem and the Jewish leadership a few decades later. The giving of the vineyard to "others" represents the inclusion of the Gentiles into God's kingdom, as the Gospel would be extended beyond Israel. The reaction of the bystanders, "God forbid," shows their immediate, horrified understanding of the parable's implications.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
KJV
King James Version · 1611He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949He will come and put them to destruction and give the garden to others. And when he said this, they said, May it not be so.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862He will come, and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others.' And having heard, they said, `Let it not be!'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752He will come and will destroy these husbandmen and will give the vineyard to others. Which they hearing, said to him: God forbid.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it they said, May it never be!
Context
This verse gives the immediate answer to the question Jesus posed in the previous verse, revealing the certain judgment awaiting the wicked tenants. It presents the resolution of the parable, highlighting the consequences of rejecting the son. This powerful conclusion directly precedes Jesus' quotation of Psalm 118, which further solidifies the identify of the rejected son and the builders' culpability, leading to the leaders' horrified realization.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 22:7
But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
- Psalms 2:8
Ask of me, and I will givetheethe nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
- Acts 13:46
And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
- Psalms 21:8
Thy hand will find out all thine enemies; Thy right hand will find out those that hate thee.
- Nehemiah 9:36
Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it.
- Matthew 21:41
They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
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