Matthew 21:40

Mat 21:40-41. When the Lord cometh — Armed with a power which they will be utterly unable to resist, What will he do unto these husbandmen — Who had been so treacherous and cruel? With a view to their stronger conviction, he refers it to themselves to judge in this case. For God’s proceedings are so unexceptionable, there needs only an appeal to sinners themselves concerning the equity of them. They say, (for how could they with any decency say otherwise?) He will miserably destroy these wicked men — Κακους κακως απολεσει αυτους, he will put those wretches to a wretched death: (So Campbell:) and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen. Thus, before they were aware, they condemned themselves, and signified that their privileges and blessings would be taken from them, the governors of their church and commonwealth destroyed, and the Gentiles taken to be God’s people in their stead: an interpretation of the parable which our Lord immediately confirmed, Luk 20:16; when they replied with apparent seriousness, God forbid.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21:40 When the owner of the vineyard returns refers to the Lord’s coming in judgment (see 16:27; 24:1-36).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mat_21:40 f. According to Mark and Luke, it is Jesus who replies. But how appropriate and how striking (comp. Mat_21:31) that the adversaries themselves are forced to pronounce their own condemnation (in answer to Schneckenburger, de Wette, Bleek)!

κακοὺς κακῶς ἀπολέσει αὐτ.] as despicable creatures (scoundrels), He will miserably destroy them. The collocation κακοὺς κακῶς serves to indicate in an emphatic manner the correspondence between the conduct in question and its punishment. See Wetsteins note; Fritzsche, Diss. in 2 Cor. ii. p. 147 f.; Lobeck, Paralip. p. 58. Comp. Eur. Cycl. 270: κακῶς οὗτοι κακοὶ ἀπόλοινθʼ; and, in general, Lobeck, ad Soph. Aj. 866; Elmsl. ad Eur. Med. 787. If we are to apply the parable in accordance with the order of thought, and, therefore, in conformity with the meaning intended by Jesus Himself, we cannot understand the coming of the κύριος and the execution of the punishment as denoting the second advent and the last judgment; for, apart from the fact that it is God and not Christ that is represented by the κύριος, the words οἵτινες ἀποδώσουσιν, κ.τ.λ., would point to the period subsequent to the advent and the judgment,a reference not in keeping with the sense of the passage. The true reference is to the destruction of Jerusalem, the shape in which the divine judgment is to overtake the then guardians of the theocracy, whereupon this latter would be entrusted to the care of other guides (i.e. the leaders of the Christian church as representing the true Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ), who as such will be called upon to undertake the duties and responsibilities of their unfaithful predecessors. Comp. Mat_22:7; Joh_7:34; Eph_4:11 f. Such are the things which those hostile questioners ἄκοντες προφητεύουσι (Euthymius Zigabenus).

ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς αὐτῶν] αὐτῶν refers to the γεωργοί: at the terms prescribed to them for doing so.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 21:40-46 . Application . ὅταν οὖν ἔλθῃ ὁ κ ., etc.: what would you expect the owner to do after such ongoings have been reported to him? Observe the subjunctive after ὅταν compared with the indicative ἤγγισεν after ὅτε , Mat 21:34 . ὅτε points to a definite time past, ὅταν is indefinite ( vide Hermann, Viger , p. 437).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh--This represents "the settling time," which, in the case of the Jewish ecclesiastics, was that judicial trial of the nation and its leaders which issued in the destruction of their whole state.

what will he do unto those husbandmen?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh,.... In a way of providence, to call these husbandmen to an account; not only for the fruit they were to bring to him; but for their barbarity to his servants, the prophets, time after time; and especially, for the inhuman usage and murder of his own son,

what will he do unto those husbandmen? This question is put to the chief priests, elders, and Scribes: and they themselves, who are designed hereby, are made judges in this case, just as the inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah are, in Isa 5:4 which passage of Scripture our Lord had greatly in view when he spake this parable.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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

Ver. 40. What will he do, &c.] Nay, what will he not do? God will run upon them, even on their neck, upon the "thick bosses of their bucklers," Job 15:26. They that would kill their enemy, strike not where he can defend himself. But so doth God, he strikes through all, yea, through the loins, Deu 33:11, even to the very soul, Jer 4:10. This made Moses cry out, "Who knoweth the power of thine anger?" Psa 90:11. Surely it is such, as none can either avoid or abide.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mark relates the latter verse as Christ’s own words, Mar 12:9; so doth Luke, Luk 20:15,16, adding, that when they heard it, they said, God forbid. It is said, to solve this difficulty,

1. That they say unto him must not be understood of the Pharisees, but some of the hearers; the Pharisees said only, God forbid.

2. Others think the Pharisees and elders did at first say as is here expressed, but our Saviour then telling them they were the men and opening it further to them, they said, God forbid.

It is very possible the Pharisees and elders might first say it, and that our Saviour confirming and opening their words, showing them how they had given judgment against themselves, they said, God forbid; so both they might say these words, and Christ also. This I take to be the most satisfactory answer. By those words also our Saviour declares, that his church should shortly be taken out of the hands of these Pharisees, and elders, and priests, and put into the hands of his apostles and a gospel ministry.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

40. When the Lord… of the vineyard cometh — Alford quotes this phrase as a decisive instance in which the destruction of Jerusalem is called the coming of the Lord. But we reply that the Lord who comes is not the Son, nor the Son of man; but God the Father Almighty. The coming is no way identical with the phrase by which Christ’s comings are expressed; inasmuch as this coming is only a part of the parabolic action by which God’s general providential visitation is typified.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh; when therefore the lord, etc. Christ asks his hearers, who are both rulers and people, what in their opinion will be the course taken by the lord when he visits his vineyard, knowing all that has transpired. So Isaiah (Isa_5:3) makes the people give the verdict: "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Observe here, At the first mentioning of the parable, the Pharisees express a bitter indignation against such wicked servants, not considering what a dreadful sentence they passed upon themselves and their own nation. Little did they think, that thereby they condemned their temple to be burnt, their city to be destroyed, their country to be ruined; but in these words they vindicate God, they condemn themselves, and own the justice of God, in inflicting the severest punishments on them.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40. When the lord … cometh, what will he do? This question is addressed to the Jews, who seem to have been so carried away by the vivid description that they answered without seeing that they pronounced their own sentence (see verse 41).

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Now

The word "now" does not mean "at this moment," but it is used to draw attention to the important point that follows.

They said to him

Matthew does not make clear who answered Jesus. If you need to specify an audience you can translate as "The people said to Jesus."

translationWords

vineyard

grape

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

(M) 40, 41. When, therefore, the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to him, He will evilly destroy the evil ones, and will give the vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render to him the fruits at their seasons.] Mk. has: “What will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others.” In Mk. Christ Himself answers the rhetorical question. Mt. places the answer in the mouth of the rulers, that they themselves, as in v. 31, may pronounce their own condemnation. This change involves others. Mk.’s abrupt τί ποιήσει ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος must now, as an independent sentence, be rounded off by the anticipation of ὅταν οὖν ἔλθῃ and by the addition of ἐκείνοις, which had been omitted from Mar_7. In v. 41 κακοὺς κακῶς takes the place of ἐλεύσεται, which has been transferred to v. 40; ἐκδώσεται, cf. ἐξέδετο, v. 33, takes the place of δώσει, and a clause is added to round off the sentence. For the phraseology, cf. Psa 1:3.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.