Matthew 21:34-44 · Bible study
Matthew 21:34-44 Commentary: Parable of the Wicked Tenants
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus' parable of the wicked tenants reveals God's patient sending of prophets and His Son, and the judgment on those who reject Him.
Research Summary
- Meaning: An allegory of Israel's history: God sends prophets and finally His Son; rejection leads to judgment and the kingdom transfers to a fruit-bearing people.
- Key words: servants (prophets), fruit (obedience/righteousness), stone (Christ), farmers (religious leaders).
- Main debate: Who exactly is the 'nation' in v.43, the church, the Gentiles, or a restored remnant of Israel?
- Theological theme: God's patient justice, He sends many messengers before judgement; rejection of the Son is the final offence.
- Best use: Lenten teaching on repentance, evangelistic sermons on God's offer, or warnings against spiritual complacency.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
34When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.
35But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.
37Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’
39So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”
41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
34When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit.
35The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way.
37But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
38But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’
39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him.
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
41They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers who will give him the fruit in its season.”
42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?
43“Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.
44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”
KJV King James Version 1769
34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
34And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits.
35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner.
37But afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.
39And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41They 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.
42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvellous in our eyes?
43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
34`And when the season of the fruits came nigh, he sent his servants unto the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it,
35and the husbandmen having taken his servants, one they scourged, and one they killed, and one they stoned.
36`Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did to them in the same manner.
37`And at last he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son;
38and the husbandmen having seen the son, said among themselves, This is the heir, come, we may kill him, and may possess his inheritance;
39and having taken him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him;
40whenever therefore the lord of the vineyard may come, what will he do to these husbandmen?'
41They say to him, `Evil men--he will evilly destroy them, and the vineyard will give out to other husbandmen, who will give back to him the fruits in their seasons.'
42Jesus saith to them, `Did ye never read in the Writings, A stone that the builders disallowed, it became head of a corner; from the Lord hath this come to pass, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
43`Because of this I say to you, that the reign of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruit;
44and he who is falling on this stone shall be broken, and on whomsoever it may fall it will crush him to pieces.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
34But when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his bondmen to the husbandmen to receive his fruits.
35And the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36Again he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them in like manner.
37And at last he sent to them his son, saying, They will have respect for my son.
38But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance.
39And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen?
41They say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil [men], and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42Jesus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of [the] Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes?
43Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.
44And he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
34And when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof.
35And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one and killed another and stoned another.
36Again he sent other servants, more than the former; and they did to them in like manner.
37And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son.
38But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.
39And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard and killed him.
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen that shall render him the fruit in due season.
42Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes.
43Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof.
44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 21:34
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this parable is an allegory of Israel's history. The servants sent to collect fruit represent the prophets, whom God dispatched to call the nation back to faithfulness. Clarke states plainly: 'He sent his servants, Prophets, which, from time to time, he sent to the Jewish nation to call both priests and people back to the purity of his holy religion.' The fruit signifies the obedience and righteous response God expected from His people. The escalating violence, beating, killing, stoning, mirrors the persecution of the prophets recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:16 and Nehemiah 9:26. The sending of the son is, as Calvin writes, 'the last remedy'; Matthew Henry calls it 'the greatest favour that could be shown them.' The tenants' murder of the heir points to Jesus' crucifixion. The reference to the stone (Psalm 118:22) identifies Christ as the cornerstone rejected by the builders but exalted by God. The transfer of the kingdom to a 'nation' (v.43) is understood by most Christians to signify the inclusion of the Gentiles, though some debate whether this refers to the church or a new ethnic people. All agree that the parable warns that persistent rejection of God's messengers leads to judgment, but God's purpose will be carried forward through a people who bear its fruit.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Traditional allegorical reading: Tenants = Jewish leaders; servants = prophets; son = Jesus; new nation = Gentile church (Matthew 21:43, Luke 20:16).
- Typological reading: The vineyard = Israel; the servants = all who bear God's word; the stone = Christ as rejected but exalted (Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11).
- Eschatological warning: The parable primarily warns all religious communities against hypocrisy and fruitlessness (v.43, 1 Corinthians 10:11-12).
What is clear: God sent messengers to His people, they were rejected and killed, and finally He sent His own Son, who was also killed; but God will vindicate His Son and give the kingdom to those who bear fruit.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the 'servants' | All traditions agree they represent God's messengers, especially the prophets of Israel. | Some limit them strictly to OT prophets; others include NT apostles and ministers sent throughout church history. |
| Meaning of 'fruit' | The fruit is the response God expects from His people, obedience, righteousness, and faith. | Whether this refers primarily to personal holiness, social justice, or repentant faith is emphasised differently across traditions. |
| Transfer of the kingdom (v.43) | The kingdom is taken from unfruitful leaders and given to those who bear fruit. | Catholic and Orthodox teaching often sees the new 'nation' as the church; some Protestant traditions view it as the Gentile world; others as a faithful remnant of Israel. |
| The stone (v.42-44) | The stone is Christ; the builders who rejected him are the religious leaders. | Some interpret 'falling on the stone' as stumbling in unbelief, while others see it as judgment; 'grinding to powder' is understood as final destruction at Christ's return. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This parable draws directly on the vineyard imagery of Isaiah 5:1-7, where the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord and the men of Judah His pleasant plant. The details, a hedge, a winepress, a tower, come straight from Isaiah's song. For Jesus' hearers, the reference would be unmistakable. Master of a household plants, protects and equips a vineyard, then leases it to tenant farmers while he travels. This likely reflects the absentee-landlord system common in first-century Galilee, where large estates were worked by tenants.
The servants sent at harvest time represent the prophets whom God sent to Israel repeatedly. Cross-references such as 2 Kings 17:13 and 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 document this pattern: 'Yahweh testified to Israel and to Judah by every prophet and every seer,' yet the people mocked the messengers and despised His words. Nehemiah 9:30 summarises centuries of this cycle: 'Many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen.'
Jesus spoke this parable in the temple, directly after the chief priests and elders had challenged His authority (Matthew 21:23-27). He stood as the final messenger, the Son, whom they were already plotting to kill (Matthew 21:38-39 reflects this conspiracy). The quotation of Psalm 118:22 grounds the parable in a familiar messianic psalm, one sung at festivals. The stone imagery also alludes to Isaiah 8:14-15 and Daniel 2:34-35, where the rejected stone becomes an agent of both salvation and judgment. The parable is a courtroom drama: God the owner, the tenants on trial, and the verdict pronounced.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants affecting the meaning of Matthew 21:34-44. The main difference among manuscripts involves the inclusion of verse 44 in some early witnesses. However, the passage as a whole is well-attested, and the consulted sources treat the received text as stable.
Reception History
From the early church, this parable has been read as a condensed history of salvation: God's patience with Israel, the rejection of the prophets, and the coming of Christ. Jewish commentators such as Rabbi Solomon Jarchi and Abarbanel, as cited by Clarke, interpreted the stone of Psalm 118 as referring to the Messiah. In the medieval period, the parable was used to warn Christians against imitating the unfaithful tenants. Reformers like Calvin used it to underscore God's sovereignty in judgment and the inclusion of the Gentiles. In modern preaching, it remains a sobering call to produce fruit and to honour the Son whom God has sent.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's patient pursuit: The owner sends servant after servant, then his own son. This describes the long history of God reaching out through prophets, Scripture and His Son.
- Human rebellion revealed: The tenants beat, kill and reject each messenger, finally murdering the heir. This exposes the depth of human resistance to God's claims.
- Divine justice and restoration: The owner returns, destroys the tenants and gives the vineyard to others. Judgment clears the way for a new people who will produce fruit.
Five-point outline
- The vineyard: God's care for Israel (v.33, echoing Isaiah 5).
- The servants: the prophets sent to call for fruit (vv.34-36).
- The son: Jesus, sent as God's final appeal (vv.37-39).
- The cornerstone: Christ rejected but exalted (vv.42-44).
- The new tenants: a people who bear fruit (v.43).
Illustration hooks
- A supervisor visits a job site repeatedly to collect the owner's share of the harvest, but the workers refuse, assaulting each person sent. Most people have seen or heard of a workplace confrontation when someone in authority demands accountability.
- A builder discards a stone at a construction site because it doesn't fit the plan, but later the architect returns and declares it the most important piece, the corner that holds everything together.
- A farmer watches the ripening crop with anticipation, only to discover the tenants have locked him out and refuse to give anything back. The owner's patience runs out.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God seem to wait so long to act against evil? The parable shows God's patience over centuries, but also that judgment eventually comes.
- How do I know if I am producing 'fruit' for God? The fruit is the loving obedience and justice that God desires, a life that reflects His character.
- Does this parable apply only to Israel, or to the church as well? The transfer warns any community that takes God's gifts for granted without giving Him the honour due.
Leading a Discussion
This parable forces us to examine how we respond to God's messengers. We serve a patient God who keeps reaching out, but the story also asks: what kind of tenants are we? Read Matthew 21:34-44 together. Notice the progression, from beatings to murder, from many servants to the son. The question in verse 40 turns the story back on the hearers.
Discussion questions
- Why does the owner in the parable keep sending servants even after they are mistreated? What does this tell us about God's character?
- The tenants saw the son and said, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.' What does their reasoning reveal about their view of God?
- Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' How does this verse connect to the parable and to Jesus' identity?
- Verse 43 says the kingdom will be given to a 'nation producing its fruit.' What does 'fruit' mean in this context? How would you describe it in concrete terms?
- When the chief priests and Pharisees realised Jesus was speaking about them (v.45), they wanted to arrest him. Why do you think they reacted with anger rather than repentance?
- How does this parable challenge our own ideas about what we owe to God? Are there areas where we are tempted to 'keep the fruit' for ourselves?
- If you were to respond to God as the faithful tenants in the parable, what would change in your life this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Kings 17:13 | Yet Yahweh testified to Israel and to Judah, by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” |
| II Kings 17:23 | until Yahweh removed Israel out of his sight, as he said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day. |
| II Chronicles 36:15 | Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; |
| II Chronicles 36:16 | but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy. |
| Nehemiah 9:29 | and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and didn’t listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear. |
| Nehemiah 9:30 | Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. |
| Song of Solomon 8:11 | Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He leased out the vineyard to keepers. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit. |
| Song of Solomon 8:12 | My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon, two hundred for those who tend its fruit. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees the parable as exposing the priests' tyranny and their fear of losing power, which drove them to kill the son. He notes Christ quotes Psalm 118 to prove Scripture predicted their opposition, not their approval. Calvin warns this judgment falls on all
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes the sharp line Jesus draws between Himself and all previous messengers—He is the Son and heir, sent last. The phrase "it may be they will reverence my Son" highlights the almost unimaginable guilt of rejecting Him. The Pharisees' answer to the parable unwittingly pronounces their own condemnation
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the Sanhedrin's official inquiry as the highest rebellion disguised as strict legality. Jesus' counter-question forces them to confess ignorance before the people, a step of desperation that in His eyes strips them of their divine authorization and marks them as mere usurpers.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the parable lays bare the full extent of human rebellion: the householder sent many servants, then his son, yet the tenants killed even him. The result is a complete forfeiture of privilege; the kingdom is given to those who will bear fruit. God's patience has a limit.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent points out that the original Greek contains wordplays the King James Version misses: the phrase rendered "miserably destroy" literally says "miserable men, miserably he will destroy them," and the verb for "grind to powder" evokes a winnowing fan that scatters chaff. He also notes that the compound pronoun for "which" marks the new tenants as having a character of honest men.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a sharp distinction between two ways the stone affects people. Those who stumble over Christ by hearing the Gospel and not believing are broken, receiving real harm. But when that stone falls on unbelievers at Christ's final coming, it destroys them completely.