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

MATTHEW 21:40KJV
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Matthew 21:40 (KJV)

What does Matthew 21:40 mean?

Matthew 21:40 records Jesus asking his listeners what the owner of the vineyard will do to the tenant farmers who have mistreated his servants and son. The verse is a turning point in the parable, inviting the audience to consider the consequences of the tenants’ actions.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem, using a story about a vineyard to illustrate a deeper message. By asking this question, Jesus draws his listeners into the story, prompting them to judge the wicked tenants’ behavior. This sets up the next verses, where the crowd responds and Jesus applies the parable to his audience.

The Greek behind Matthew 21:40

  • κύριος (kyrios, “lord”): This word means “master” or “owner,” emphasizing the authority of the vineyard’s owner over the tenants.
  • γεώργους (geōrgous, “husbandmen”): This term refers to tenant farmers or those entrusted with the care of the vineyard, highlighting their responsibility and stewardship.
  • τί (ti, “what”): This word introduces an open-ended question, inviting the listeners to make a judgment about the owner’s response, rather than stating it directly.

Why Matthew 21:40 matters

  • This verse shifts the parable from narrative to direct engagement, forcing the religious leaders to confront the implications of their own actions as represented by the tenants.
  • The question format draws out the audience’s sense of justice, making them participants in the story rather than passive listeners.
  • Understanding this verse helps clarify how Jesus used parables to reveal truths indirectly, especially when speaking to those who opposed him.

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:
  • 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.

“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.

“When” Greek G3752 · used in 118 verses

  • Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  • Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
  • John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.