What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

MARK 12:9KJV
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Mark 12:9 (KJV)

What does Mark 12:9 mean?

Mark 12:9 says that the owner of the vineyard will come, punish those who managed it badly, and give the vineyard to others. This is part of a story Jesus tells to show that those who reject their responsibilities will lose their place and others will take over.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to religious leaders in Jerusalem, using a parable about a vineyard to illustrate a warning. The "lord of the vineyard" stands for God, and the "husbandmen" are the leaders who have failed in their duties. The verse signals a coming judgment and a transfer of responsibility to others who will be faithful.

The Greek behind Mark 12:9

  • κύριος (kurios, "lord"): This word means "master" or "owner" and highlights the authority of the one who owns the vineyard. In the story, it points to God as the true authority over Israel.
  • ἀπολέσει (apolesei, from ἀπόλλυμι apollymi, "destroy"): This word carries the sense of complete removal or destruction, emphasizing the seriousness of the judgment against the unfaithful tenants.
  • γεωργοῖς (geōrgois, "husbandmen"): This term refers to tenant farmers or caretakers. In the context of the parable, it represents the religious leaders who were entrusted with caring for God's people.
  • ἄλλοις (allois, "others"): This word means "others" or "different ones," stressing that the privilege and responsibility will be given to a new group, not just replaced but truly transferred.

Why Mark 12:9 matters

  • Mark 12:9 clarifies that God’s patience has limits and that unfaithful leadership will face real consequences, not just warnings.
  • The verse helps explain why Jesus’ audience—especially the religious leaders—would have felt challenged or even threatened by his teaching.
  • Mark 12:9 connects to the larger parable, showing a turning point where the story shifts from warning to the promise of new caretakers, hinting at a broader inclusion beyond the current leaders.

Where else these words appear

“husbandmen” Greek G1092 · used in 17 verses

  • Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
  • 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.
  • Luke 20:10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

“vineyard” Greek G290 · used in 21 verses

  • Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
  • Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
  • Luke 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

“destroy” Greek G622 · used in 86 verses

  • Matthew 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
  • Luke 6:9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
  • John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

“others” Greek G243 · used in 141 verses

  • Matthew 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
  • Mark 14:58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
  • Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.