But 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.

MATTHEW 21:38KJV
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Matthew 21:38 (KJV)

What does Matthew 21:38 mean?

Matthew 21:38 describes how the tenant farmers, seeing the landowner’s son, decide together to kill him so they can take his inheritance for themselves. The verse shows their deliberate plan to remove the rightful heir in hopes of gaining control over what does not belong to them.

In this part of Jesus’ parable, He is speaking to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. The “husbandmen” are tenant farmers working someone else’s vineyard, and the “son” represents the landowner’s heir. The verse highlights the tenants’ greed and willingness to commit violence for personal gain, setting up the main point of the story about rejecting rightful authority.

The Greek behind Matthew 21:38

  • ἡ κληρονομία (hē klēronomia, “inheritance”): This word refers to what is passed down as a legal right, often land or property. Here, it emphasizes that the son is the legitimate heir, making the tenants’ plot especially unjust.
  • κληρονόμος (klēronomos, “heir”): This term underlines the son’s unique status as the one who rightfully inherits everything. The tenants’ recognition of him as “the heir” shows they know exactly what they are doing.
  • κατασχῶμεν (kataschōmen, “let us seize”): The Greek verb carries the sense of taking possession by force. The tenants are not just rejecting the son; they are actively trying to take what is not theirs.

Why Matthew 21:38 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the tenants’ actions are not out of ignorance but from a calculated decision to oppose the rightful heir, which deepens the seriousness of their offense.
  • The story connects directly to the leaders Jesus is addressing, showing how those entrusted with God’s “vineyard” have rejected His messengers and now plot against His Son.
  • Understanding the tenants’ motivation helps make sense of the coming judgment in the parable and the larger message about rejecting God’s authority.

Where else these words appear

“come” Greek G1205 · used in 13 verses

  • Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
  • Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
  • Luke 20:14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

“heir” Greek G2818 · used in 14 verses

  • Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
  • Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
  • Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

“inheritance” Greek G2817 · used in 14 verses

  • Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
  • Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
  • Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

“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:
  • Mark 12:1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
  • 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.