Matthew 21:35
What does Matthew 21:35 mean?
A plain-English look at Matthew 21:35 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Matthew 21:35 means
Tragically, the wicked tenants violently mistreated the householder's servants: beating one, killing another, and stoning a third. This graphically illustrates Israel's historical rejection and persecution of God's prophets, who faithfully delivered His messages. It highlights the deeply entrenched resistance and hostility of the religious leaders toward those sent by God to call them to account.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And the workmen made an attack on his servants, giving blows to one, putting another to death, and stoning another.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and the husbandmen having taken his servants, one they scourged, and one they killed, and one they stoned.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one and killed another and stoned another.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Context
This verse depicts the violent and unjust treatment of the householder's first group of servants, immediately following their being sent to collect fruit. This act of rebellion directly precedes the householder's subsequent sending of more servants, setting a pattern of escalating rejection. This vivid portrayal underscores the severe unfaithfulness of the tenants and the beginning of their open rebellion.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 23:31
Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.
- Nehemiah 9:26
Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their back, and slew thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought great provocations.
- Jeremiah 26:21
And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt.
- 1 Kings 19:2
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.
- Luke 13:33
Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 18:4
for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
Related questions readers ask
Keep reading
Want to dig deeper? Explore Matthew 21
Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Matthew 21.
Devotionals
Devotional
Small Faith, Real Faith
A mustard seed is enough. Not a mountain of certainty — a seed of trust.
Devotional
The Weight We Were Not Built to Carry
Jesus does not promise the absence of burden. He offers an exchange.
Devotional
Consider the Lilies
Worry forgets that the same God who clothes the field clothes you.
Topics that quote it
Topic
Bible Verses About Rejection
Rejection is a painful human experience, but the Bible offers comfort, guidance, and a divine perspective on feeling excluded or unaccepted.
Topic
Bible Verses About Adultery
Adultery, a grave sin against God and marriage, represents a betrayal of trust and a violation of sacred vows.
Topic
Bible Verses About Anger
The Bible addresses anger directly, offering wisdom on its destructive potential and how believers can manage it righteously.
What the Bible says about…
Verses for this moment
Verses for
Bible Verses for a Panic Attack at Night
Steady, slow verses to pray when your chest is tight and the house is dark.
Verses for
Bible Verses for Morning Work Anxiety
Start the workday from a steadier place — verses to pray with coffee.
Verses for
Bible Verses for When You Can't Sleep Because of Anxious Thoughts
Verses to read in bed when your mind won't stop.