Matthew 21 · Verse 41

Matthew 21:41

They 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.
Matthew 21:41, King James Version

Matthew 21:41 in other translations

BSB“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.”
WEBThey 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.”
ASVThey 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.
YLTThey 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.'
DARBYThey 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.
BBEThey say to him, He will put those cruel men to a cruel death, and will let out the vine-garden to other workmen, who will give him the fruit when it is ready.
WebsterThey say to him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render him the fruits in their seasons.

What does Matthew 21:41 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
41. They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men--an emphatic alliteration not easily conveyed in English: "He will badly destroy those bad men," or "miserably destroy those miserable men," is something like it. and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons--If this answer was given by the Pharisees, to whom our Lord addressed the parable, they thus unwittingly pronounced their own condemnation: as did David to Nathan the prophet (2Sa 12:5-7), and Simon the Pharisee to our Lord (Lu 7:43, &c.). But if it was given, as the two other Evangelists agree in representing it, by our Lord Himself, and the explicitness of the answer would seem to favor that supposition, then we can better explain the exclamation of the Pharisees which followed it, in Luke's report (Lu 20:16)--"And when they heard it, they said, God forbid"--His whole meaning now bursting upon them.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 41. They say, etc. They answered according as they knew men would, act and would act justly in doing it. He would take away their privileges, and confer them on others. This was the answer which Jesus wished. It was so clear, that they could not answer otherwise. He wished to show them the justice of taking away their national privileges, and punishing them in the destruction of their city and nation. Had he stated this at first, they would not have heard him. He, however, by a parable led them along to state themselves the very truth which he wished to communicate, and they had then nothing to answer, they did not, however, yet see the bearing of what they had admitted.

(a) "destroy" Ps 2:4,5,9, Zech 12:2 (b) "other husbandmen" Lk 21:24, Rom 9:26, 11:11

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 41 He will miserably destroy those wicked men - So, according to this evangelist, our Lord caused them to pass that sentence of destruction upon themselves which was literally executed about forty years after. But Luke relates it differently: according to him, they said μη γενοιτο, God forbid! The Codex Leicestrensis omits οι λεγουσιν, they say; so that the following words appear to be spoken by our Lord. Michaelis supposes that in the Hebrew original the word was ויאמר waiomer, he said; for which the Greek translator might have read ויאמרו waiomeru, they said.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask…

Read the full comment on Matthew 21:33-46 →

Matthew 21:41 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

λέγουσινlegousinThey sayG3004
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
κακοὺςkakous[The] wretchesG2556
κακῶςkakōsgrievouslyG2560
ἀπολέσειapoleseiHe will destroyG622
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
καὶkaiandG2532
τὸνtontheG3588
ἀμπελῶναampelōnavineyardG290
ἐκδώσεταιekdōsetaihe will rent outG1554
ἄλλοιςalloisto otherG243
γεωργοῖςgeōrgoisfarmersG1092
οἵτινεςoitineswhoG3748
ἀποδώσουσινapodōsousinwill giveG591
αὐτῷautōto himG846
τοὺςtoustheG3588
καρποὺςkarpousfruitsG2590
ἐνeninG1722
τοῖςtoistheG3588
καιροῖςkairoisseasonsG2540
αὐτῶν.¶autōnof them.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 21:41

  • Acts 18:6

    And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

  • Matthew 21:43

    Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

  • Isaiah 5:5-7

    And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

  • Acts 28:28

    Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

  • Matthew 22:6-7

    And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

  • 1 Thessalonians 2:16

    Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

  • Matthew 3:12

    Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

  • Luke 17:32-37

    Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. …

  • Zechariah 11:8-10

    Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

  • Daniel 9:26

    And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

  • Deuteronomy 28:59-68

    Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. …

  • Zechariah 14:2-3

    For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
they say.Our Lord here causes them to pass that sentence of destruction upon themselves which was literally executed about forty years afterwards by the Roman armies.
He will.
3:12; 22:6,7; 23:35-38; 24:21,22; Le 26:14-46; De 28:59-68
Ps 2:4,5,9; Isa 5:5-7; Da 9:26; Zec 11:8-10; 12:12; 13:8; 14:2,3
Mal 4:1-6; Lu 17:32-37; 19:41-44; 21:22-24; 1Th 2:16; Heb 2:3; 12:25
and will let out.
43; 8:11; Isa 49:5-7; 65:15; 66:19-21; Lu 13:28,29; 14:23,24; 21:24
Ac 13:46-48; 15:7; 18:6; 28:8; Ro 9:1-11:36; 15:9-18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 21:40

    When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

  • Matthew 21:41

    They 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.

  • Matthew 21:42

    Jesus 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?

Read all of Matthew 21

Matthew 21:41 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dícenle: á los malos destruirá miserablemente, y su viña dará á renta á otros labradores, que le paguen el fruto á sus tiempos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils lui disent: Il fera périr misérablement ces méchants, et louera sa vigne à d’autres cultivateurs qui lui remettront les fruits en leur saison.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Sie sagen zu ihm: Er wird jene Übeltäter übel umbringen, und den Weinberg wird er an andere Weingärtner verdingen, die ihm die Früchte abgeben werden zu ihrer Zeit.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Aiunt illi: Malos male perdet: et vineam suam locabit aliis agricolis, qui reddant ei fructum temporibus suis.