Luke - 20:16



16 He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others." When they heard it, they said, "May it never be!"

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Luke 20:16.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
He will come, and will destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. Which they hearing, said to him: God forbid.
He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it they said, May it never be!
He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, may that never be.
He will come, and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others.' And having heard, they said, 'Let it not be!'
He shall come and destroy these farmers, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
He will come and put these vine-dressers to death, and give the vineyard to others." "God forbid!" exclaimed the hearers.
He 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.
"He will come and destroy those settlers, and he will give the vineyard to others." And upon hearing this, they said to him, "Let it not be."
He will come and put those tenants to death, and will let the vineyard to others." "heaven forbid!" they exclaimed when they heard it.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

God forbid - Or, Let it not be, μη γενοιτο. Our phrase, God forbid, answers pretty well to the meaning of the Greek, but it is no translation.

He shall come and destroy these husbandmen,.... Which had its accomplishment at the destruction of Jerusalem: according to the other evangelists, these words are the answer of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, to the above questions put to them by Christ, after he had delivered the parable; but here they seem to be the words of Christ, who also said the same, and confirmed what they had observed, and could not but own, that it was just and right, and what might be expected, with what follows:
and shall give the vineyard to others; the land of Judea to the Romans in particular, and the church state, with the Gospel and ordinances of it, to the Gentiles in general, sometimes called "others"; See Gill on Luke 5:29 and See Gill on Luke 18:11.
and when they heard it, they said, God forbid; though they were their own words, yet repeated and confirmed by Christ, and perceiving that they were the persons intended, deprecate the fulfilment of them; at least so far as they understood they related to the killing of the Messiah, and to the destruction of their nation, city, and temple.

He shall come, &c.--This answer was given by the Pharisees themselves (Matthew 21:41), thus pronouncing their own righteous doom. Matthew alone (Matthew 21:43) gives the naked application, that "the kingdom of God should be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof"--the great evangelical community of the faithful, chiefly Gentiles.
God forbid--His whole meaning now bursting upon them.

He will destroy these husbandmen - Probably he pointed to the scribes, chief priests, and elders: who allowed, he will miserably destroy those wicked men, Matthew 21:41; but could not bear that this should be applied to themselves. They might also mean, God forbid that we should be guilty of such a crime as your parable seems to charge us with, namely, rejecting and killing the heir. Our Saviour answers, But yet will ye do it, as is prophesied of you.

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