Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
41. They say unto him ] An interruption from the listening crowd, which marks the intense interest with which these parables were heard. The indignation of the bystanders is aroused as if it were a tale of actual life.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 41. He will miserably destroy those wicked men] So, according to this evangelist, our Lord caused them to pass that sentence of destruction upon themselves which was literally executed about forty years after. But Luke relates it differently: according to him, they said , God forbid! The Codex Leicestrensis omits , they say; so that the following words appear to be spoken by our Lord. Michaelis supposes that in the Hebrew original the word was waiomer, he said; for which the Greek translator might have read waiomeru, they said.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
41. They say unto him, He willmiserably destroy those wicked menan emphatic alliteration noteasily conveyed in English: “He will badly destroy those badmen,” or “miserably destroy those miserable men,” issomething like it.
and will let out his vineyardunto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in theirseasonsIf this answer was given by the Pharisees, to whom ourLord addressed the parable, they thus unwittingly pronounced theirown condemnation: as did David to Nathan the prophet (2Sa12:5-7), and Simon the Pharisee to our Lord (Lu7:43, &c.). But if it was given, as the two other Evangelistsagree in representing it, by our Lord Himself, and the explicitnessof the answer would seem to favor that supposition, then we canbetter explain the exclamation of the Pharisees which followed it, inLuke’s report (Lu 20:16) “Andwhen they heard it, they said, God forbid”His whole meaningnow bursting upon them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They say unto him,…. Either the common people that were about him; or rather the chief priests, scribes, and elders, to whom he put the question; little thinking then, that they were the persons intended in this parable:
he will miserably destroy those wicked men: in saying which, they own that persons guilty of such crimes, as beating, killing, and stoning, servants sent to them by the proprietor of the vineyard, to receive his due and proper fruit, and at last murdering his son and heir, were very wicked persons, and deserved the severest punishments to be inflicted upon them, and that without mercy; nor could it be thought, but this must and would be unavoidably their case, when the Lord of the vineyard should come: thus tacitly did they condemn themselves as wicked men, and as deserving the worst of deaths, who in a few days after this, were concerned in the death of the Son of God:
and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen; allowing it to be a very just thing, not only to put these men to the most miserable and tormenting death that could be devised, but to take the vineyard out of the hands of their posterity, and let it out to other persons; as it was a righteous thing with God, to remove the church state, Gospel and ordinances from the Jews, and deliver them to the Gentiles:
which shall render him the fruits in their seasons; that is, his due, and that in proper time. The other evangelists relate these words, as spoken by Christ: for the reconciliation of which let it be observed, that they were first spoken by the Jews, as is here signified; and after that were spoken by Christ, confirming what they said, and applying it to them; upon which they said, “God forbid”; that we should ever be guilty of such crimes, incur such punishment, and this should be our case: but in proof of it, that so it would be, our Lord alleges the following words.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He will miserably destroy those miserable men ( ). The paronomasia or assonance is very clear. A common idiom in literary Greek. “He will put the wretches to a wretched death” (Weymouth).
Which (). Who, which very ones of a different character.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
He will miserably destroy those wicked men [ ] . There is a play upon the words which the A. V. missed and the Rev. preserves by rendering “miserably destroy those miserable men.” So the Rheims version : “The naughty men will he bring to naught.” Tynd., “He will evil destroy those evil persons.” The order of the Greek words is also striking : Miserable men, miserably he will destroy them.
Which [] . The compound Greek pronoun marks the character of the new husbandmen more distinctly than the simple which; husbandmen of such a character that, or belonging to that class of honest men who will give him his due.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
(41) They say unto him . . .The fact that the answer to the question came, not from the speaker, but from the hearers of the parable, is peculiar to St. Matthew. On the assumption that those who gave the answer were the scribes and Pharisees, we may see in it either a real unconsciousness that they were as the men on whom the punishment was to fall (see Note on Mat. 21:31), or, more probably, an affected horror, by which they sought to disguise the conviction that the parable was meant for them. They would not admit, in the presence of the multitude, that they winced at this intimation that their designs were known.
Those wicked men.Better, those miserable men, the adjective being the same as the preceding adverb. Their answer, like the speech of Caiaphas in Joh. 11:49-51, was an unconscious prophecy, in which were wrapt up at once the destruction of the Holy City, and the transfer of the privileges that had belonged to Israel to the Gentile Church, which was to grow into Catholic Christendom. The Lord of the vineyard would not be robbed of its fruits, and sooner or later would find faithful and true labourers.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
41. They say He compels them to utter their own condemnation. He God. Destroy those wicked men Destroy the Jewish state and nation. His vineyard The Churchdom. Other husbandmen The Gentile Church. According to Luke , the people who stood by when they heard this terrible result exclaimed, God forbid! The fact seems to be that the rulers made their terrible reply in order to seem not to see that the parable was a picture of their own character and destiny. But the people, by their sudden ejaculation, God forbid! showed that they fully understood its awful application. The rulers have now a thorough reply to their question: By what authority doest thou these things?
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
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.
Ver. 41. They say unto him, he will miserably, a &c. ] Here they unwittingly read their own destiny, as David likewise did his, 2Sa 12:5-6 . The wicked are presently self-condemned, Tit 3:11 , and shall at last day stand speechless, Mat 22:12 , out of the conviction of their own consciences.
a . Videtur paronomasia haec in proverbium abiisse.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 21:41 . , they say: who? the men incriminated, though they could not but see through the thin veil of the allegory. In Mk. and Lk. the words appear to be put into Christ’s mouth. : a solemn fact classically expressed (“en Graeci sermonis peritiam in Matthaco” Raphel, Annot.) = He will badly destroy bad men. , such as; he will give out the vineyard to husbandmen of a different stamp. . . : the fruits in their (the fruits’) seasons, regularly year by year.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
miserably . . . wicked. Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia (App-6). Greek. kakous kakos. In Eng. “miserably destroy those miserable [men]” (Revised Version); or, “those wretches he will put to a wretched death”.
which = of such character that they.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 21:41. , He will miserably destroy those wicked men[941]) An act of retaliation.[942] He will do so miserably with reference to the miserable and wicked husbandmen: cf. in Heb 10:29, – SORER punishment.-, will let out) In the Church gathered from the Gentiles, the ministers and overseers enjoy great liberty.[943] The same verb occurs in Mat 21:33.-, seasons) sc. different seasons.-, their, of them) referring to , the fruits, in Mat 21:34.
[941] In the original the words are, -male malos, which cannot be rendered in English so as to give the full force of the words: perhaps ill (adverb) them ill (adjective) is about the nearest approach that can be made-or, He will wretchedly destroy those wretches.-(I. B.)
[942] Talio-i.e. doing ill to ill doers.-(I. B.)
[943] Such as the Jewish Church did not enjoy, as being but local and elementary.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
they say: Our Lord here causes them to pass that sentence of destruction upon themselves which was literally executed about forty years afterwards by the Roman armies.
He will: Mat 3:12, Mat 22:6, Mat 22:7, Mat 23:35-38, Mat 24:21, Mat 24:22, Lev 26:14-46, Deu 28:59-68, Psa 2:4, Psa 2:5, Psa 2:9, Isa 5:5-7, Dan 9:26, Zec 11:8-10, Zec 12:12, Zec 13:8, Zec 14:2, Zec 14:3, Mal 4:1-6, Luk 17:32-37, Luk 19:41-44, Luk 21:22-24, 1Th 2:16, Heb 2:3, Heb 12:25
and will let out: Mat 21:43, Mat 8:11, Isa 49:5-7, Isa 65:15, Isa 66:19-21, Luk 13:28, Luk 13:29, Luk 14:23, Luk 14:24, Luk 21:24, Act 13:46-48, Act 15:7, Act 18:6, Act 28:8, Rom 9:1 -Rom 11:36, Rom 15:9-18
Reciprocal: 1Ki 20:40 – So shall thy judgment be 2Ki 1:10 – If I be a man Psa 1:3 – bringeth Psa 64:8 – tongue Pro 10:30 – the wicked Pro 17:11 – General Isa 5:3 – judge Hos 4:6 – I will also reject Mat 25:29 – shall be taken Mar 12:9 – shall Luk 20:16 – destroy Luk 21:23 – great Joh 8:35 – the servant Act 13:41 – for Act 28:28 – sent Rev 2:5 – else
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Mat 21:41. They say unto him, i.e., the rulers. Probably the people joined in the answer, as the parable was spoken to them also (Luk 20:9) Mark and Luke seem to put these words in the mouth of our Lord.
He will miserably destroy those miserable men. The order and repetition of the original might be thus reproduced: these wretches will he wretchedly destroy. The rulers, whether wittingly or unwittingly, condemn themselves.
To other husbandmen. An unconscious prophecy, if they did not yet understand the parable; daring hypocrisy, if they did. The destruction of the husbandmen points to the destruction of Jerusalem, which is therefore the coming of the Lord of the vineyard (Mat 21:40). In that case the heir who was killed becomes Himself the lord of the vineyard; comp, what follows with Peters citation of the same passage shortly after the day of Pentecost (Act 3:10).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
21:41 They say unto him, He will {t} miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out [his] vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
(t) A kind of proverb, showing what punishment the wicked are worthy of.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The hearers who responded may have been the leaders, but since Jesus identified the guilty in the parable clearly, they were probably the people standing about listening. They easily anticipated God’s action. He would depose the leaders and bring them to a miserable end. Then God would deliver the care of His vineyard to other slaves who would present the desired fruit at the appointed time. These refer to the prophets, apostles, and servants of God who would represent Him after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.