Mark 12 5

Mark 12:5 kjv

And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

Mark 12:5 nkjv

And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.

Mark 12:5 niv

He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

Mark 12:5 esv

And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

Mark 12:5 nlt

The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed,

Mark 12 verses

Mark 12 5 Meaning

Mark 12:5 is part of Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Tenants, illustrating the escalating rejection of God's messengers by those entrusted with His vineyard (Israel, represented by its religious leaders). The verse specifically depicts the tenants' repeated and intensifying defiance against the landowner's persistent efforts to receive his due fruit. After beating and humiliating previous servants, the landowner sends yet another servant, whom they kill, and then sends many more, some beaten and others killed, demonstrating their deep-seated rebellion and complete disregard for the owner's authority. This mirrors Israel's historical pattern of persecuting and killing the prophets sent by God.

Mark 12 5 Context

Mark 12:5 is set within Jesus' final days in Jerusalem, just before His crucifixion, likely spoken on Tuesday of Passion Week. It is part of the "Parable of the Wicked Tenants" (Mark 12:1-12), delivered by Jesus to the chief priests, scribes, and elders who were challenging His authority. This parable functions as an allegory where the landowner is God, the vineyard is Israel, the tenants are the religious leaders, the servants are the prophets sent throughout history, and the beloved son is Jesus Himself. This verse highlights the tenants' extreme rebellion. Having sent servants repeatedly and faced only rejection, the landowner demonstrates his immense patience by sending "many others," but the tenants respond with escalating brutality – from mere beating to repeated killings. This sequence directly foreshadows their ultimate act of crucifying Jesus, the Son, solidifying their self-condemnation under God's righteous judgment. The parable served as a direct indictment of the religious leaders' past and imminent actions, exposing their true character and foretelling their deserved fate.

Mark 12 5 Word analysis

• Again (πάλιν, palin): This adverb signifies a repeated action. In this context, it underscores the landowner's relentless patience and the continued, successive attempts to recover his rightful produce. It implies a pattern of sending messengers despite prior rejections, highlighting divine forbearance.
• he sent (ἀπέστειλεν, apesteilen): Derived from apostellō, meaning "to send forth with a commission" or "to dispatch." This emphasizes the landowner's authoritative initiative and deliberate act of communication. It mirrors God's intentional sending of prophets (apostles in a broader sense) to Israel throughout history.
• another (ἄλλον, allon): Refers to "another of the same kind" or "a different one." Here, it points to a distinct individual servant from the previously mentioned ones, suggesting that God did not cease sending His messengers even after past failures or violence, offering renewed opportunities.
• and him they killed (κἀκεῖνον ἀπέκτειναν, kakeinon apekteinan): kakeinon means "and that one." apekteinan is the aorist active indicative of apokteinō, "to kill" or "to murder." This phrase marks a significant escalation in the tenants' wickedness. It is no longer just abuse or rejection, but ultimate, fatal violence, signifying hardened hearts and complete defiance of the landowner's authority. This mirrors the most severe acts against God's prophets in Israel's history.
• and many others (καὶ πολλοὺς ἄλλους, kai pollous allous): kai is "and," pollous means "many" or "numerous," and allous means "others." This plural phrase indicates a multitude of subsequent messengers. It emphasizes the sheer number of prophets and righteous individuals God sent to Israel, extending beyond singular examples, and further highlights the persistent nature of both God's outreach and Israel's resistance.
• beating some (δείροντες οὓς μέν, deirontes hous men): deirontes is the present active participle of derō, meaning "to flay," "to skin," or "to beat severely." hous men means "some indeed." This details the physical brutality inflicted upon a portion of the many messengers. The vividness of "beating" (which can imply scourging or harsh physical abuse) indicates active persecution, suffering, and contempt for God's authority.
• and killing some (οὓς δὲ ἀποκτεννύντες, hous de apoktennuntes): hous de means "but others" or "and others." apoktennuntes is the present active participle of apoktennō, "to kill." This reiterates and compounds the most severe form of rejection – murder – among the many servants sent. It paints a grim picture of repeated fatal violence, underlining the deep-seated rebellion and ultimate unresponsiveness of the tenants to the landowner's attempts at reconciliation.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Again he sent another, and him they killed": This progression reveals the landowner's unending patience and the tenants' increasing depravity. God's repeated outreach is met with heightened wickedness, moving from dishonor and injury to murder, demonstrating a point of no return for the rebellious tenants.
• "and many others, beating some and killing some": This phrase paints a broad historical canvas, depicting the cumulative extent of Israel's rejection of God's messengers. It signifies not just isolated incidents but a widespread, systematic pattern of hostility towards divine communication, with varied forms of persecution from brutal physical abuse to outright murder. It illustrates the magnitude of God's persistent efforts against deep and hardened spiritual rebellion.

Mark 12 5 Bonus section

• Progressive Sin: The escalating violence depicted in the verse – from previous beatings (Mark 12:3) to killing "another" and then both beating and killing "many others" – highlights the progressive and hardening nature of sin. Unrepented disobedience does not remain stagnant; it often deepens into greater wickedness, making it increasingly difficult to turn back.
• The Unveiling of Hearts: Through this parable, Jesus compelled His listeners, particularly the religious authorities, to unconsciously articulate their own judgment. While they likely heard it as a condemnation of hypothetical "wicked tenants," Jesus' point was precisely to reveal their own true actions and intentions, serving as a powerful, self-incriminating prophecy of their future crime against the "beloved son."
• God's Long-Suffering: This verse is a testament to God's extraordinary long-suffering love. Despite centuries of rejection and violent persecution of His chosen messengers, God did not immediately abandon His people. He continued to reach out with patience and repeated opportunities for repentance, sending servant after servant, until He sent His own Son as the final messenger. This divine patience, however, has a boundary, beyond which judgment inevitably comes.

Mark 12 5 Commentary

Mark 12:5 succinctly encapsulates the culmination of the tenants' profound and escalating wickedness in Jesus' parable. It underscores God's persistent patience, illustrated by the landowner who, despite prior violent rejections of his servants, continues to send more, providing repeated opportunities for the tenants to repent and fulfill their duty. The verse starkly contrasts this divine forbearance with the tenants' increasing defiance, moving beyond mere refusal to receive the servants' messages and instead resorting to intense physical abuse and repeated murder. This brutal response symbolizes the historical trajectory of Israel's leaders and people, who repeatedly rejected, persecuted, and often killed God's prophets and messengers throughout their history. The "many others" indicates not isolated incidents but a systemic pattern of resistance to God's authority. Ultimately, this escalating violence serves as a direct foreshadowing of their climactic act of rejecting and crucifying Jesus, God's beloved Son, thereby solidifying their guilt and sealing their own tragic judgment.