Mark 12:7 kjv
But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's.
Mark 12:7 nkjv
But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
Mark 12:7 niv
"But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
Mark 12:7 esv
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
Mark 12:7 nlt
"But the tenant farmers said to one another, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!'
Mark 12 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 12:1-12 | (Full Parable) | Parable context, shows their malicious intent. |
| Mt 21:33-46 | Another account of the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. | Parallel account of the parable. |
| Lk 20:9-19 | A third account of the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. | Parallel account of the parable. |
| Isa 5:1-7 | "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel..." | "Song of the Vineyard"; foundational for Jesus' parable. |
| Ps 118:22 | "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." | Prophecy of the Messiah's rejection, quoted by Jesus. |
| Mk 8:31 | "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things..." | Jesus predicts His suffering and death. |
| Mk 9:31 | "The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him." | Jesus predicts His betrayal and murder. |
| Mk 10:33-34 | "...the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests...kill him..." | Explicit prophecy of chief priests' role in His death. |
| Jn 19:17 | "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull." | Jesus carried His cross outside the city gates. |
| Heb 13:12 | "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." | Jesus' death outside the city, as a sacrifice. |
| Acts 2:23 | "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." | Peter attributes Jesus' death to "wicked hands." |
| Acts 3:15 | "And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead..." | Peter accuses them of killing the Messiah. |
| Acts 4:10-11 | "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified...This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders..." | Direct accusation and reference to Ps 118:22. |
| Acts 7:52 | "...which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them..." | Stephen links their rejection of Jesus to their history of persecuting prophets. |
| 1 Thes 2:15 | "Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets..." | Paul blames them for killing Jesus and prophets. |
| Mt 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets..." | Jesus laments Jerusalem's history of killing prophets. |
| Heb 1:1-2 | "God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." | God's final and supreme revelation is through His Son. |
| Jn 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..." | God sending His unique Son. |
| Lk 19:42-44 | "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." | Jesus weeps over Jerusalem's impending judgment for rejecting Him. |
| Mt 21:43-44 | "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." | Judgment for their rejection, Kingdom taken away. |
| Mk 12:9 | "What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen..." | Immediate consequence within the parable: destruction. |
Mark 12 verses
Mark 12 7 Meaning
Mark 12:7 narrates the climactic act within Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. It describes the tenants’ decisive action to seize the landowner’s son, murder him, and then expel his body from the vineyard. Allegorically, this depicts the religious leaders of Israel apprehending Jesus, orchestrating His crucifixion, and His death outside the city walls of Jerusalem, signifying their ultimate rejection of God’s own Son and His divine authority, seeking to claim the inheritance (the Kingdom of God) for themselves.
Mark 12 7 Context
Mark 12:7 is found within the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Mk 12:1-12), which Jesus delivers in the temple courts in Jerusalem during the week leading up to His crucifixion. This parable immediately follows a confrontation where the chief priests, scribes, and elders challenged Jesus' authority (Mk 11:27-33). Jesus’ response in the parable serves as a direct and biting condemnation of these religious leaders, predicting their rejection of Him, God’s final messenger, and the subsequent divine judgment upon them. The setting is critical; Jesus directly confronts those who will shortly enact the very events He describes in the parable.
Mark 12 7 Word analysis
- And they took him (λαβόντες - labontes): From the verb lambano, meaning to take, seize, lay hold of. This indicates a deliberate, intentional act of apprehension, not accidental. It highlights the premeditated nature of their actions against the Son, showing malice rather than a moment of impulse. This action initiated their ultimate sin.
- and killed him (ἀπέκτειναν - apekteinan): From the verb apokteinō, meaning to kill, murder. This is the gravest act committed by the tenants, signifying complete and utter rebellion against the owner’s authority and ultimate contempt for the Son's identity. In the allegory, it refers to the actual murder of Jesus. It is a stark statement of their final, irreversible wickedness.
- and cast him out (ἐξέβαλον - exebalon): From the verb ekballō, meaning to throw out, expel, cast forth. This signifies a forceful and contemptuous removal, often associated with excommunication, rejection, or banishment. In the context of the vineyard, it implies the body was treated as refuse, defiled, and unwanted.
- of the vineyard (ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος - exō tou ampelōnos): Exō means "outside," and ampelōn refers to the vineyard. The action of casting him out of the vineyard is significant. Spiritually, it symbolizes Jesus being put to death outside the physical and spiritual "vineyard" (Jerusalem, or even the religious establishment of Israel), thus bearing shame and sin outside the camp, much like sin offerings.
Words-group analysis:
- "they took him, and killed him, and cast him out": This sequence describes escalating evil. First, they "took" him, indicating an arrest and control. Then, they "killed" him, enacting murder. Finally, they "cast him out," signifying a final act of desecration and rejection, ensuring no claim could be made over the "inheritance" (Mk 12:7b) from within the property. This progression illustrates the religious leaders' premeditated conspiracy, the act of crucifying Jesus, and His death outside Jerusalem's gate (Heb 13:12; Jn 19:17). The actions are deliberate and driven by a covetous desire for the "inheritance."
- "him...out of the vineyard": This highlights both the identity of the victim and the manner of His death. "Him" emphasizes the unique status of the son and heir, distinguishing him from the previous servants. "Out of the vineyard" suggests being discarded or deemed unworthy of the sacred space, aligning with Jesus' crucifixion outside the holy city.
Mark 12 7 Bonus section
- The deliberate actions described in Mark 12:7 emphasize the high level of culpability on the part of the vinedressers/religious leaders. It was not an accidental or rash act but a calculated crime to gain possession of what was not rightfully theirs.
- The parable reverses common expectations: the heir is killed before being cast out. Usually, someone is cast out and then potentially dies from exposure. This unusual sequence highlights the brutal murder and immediate disposal, reinforcing the tenant’s complete disregard for life and propriety.
- The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, and specifically this verse, illustrates the consistent pattern of Israel's rejection of God's messengers throughout history, culminating in the ultimate rejection of His Son. It signifies a profound spiritual blindness and hardened hearts that valued their own power and prestige over divine authority.
Mark 12 7 Commentary
Mark 12:7 provides the turning point of the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, serving as a clear prophetic declaration of Jesus’ imminent rejection and execution. The tenants' actions are born of covetousness and a perverse desire to usurp the inheritance (God's kingdom authority), demonstrating extreme wickedness. The Son's prior claim as heir posed a direct threat to their illicit control. Their act of "taking," "killing," and "casting out" reveals the deliberate, premeditated nature of the religious leaders' conspiracy to eliminate Jesus. The "casting out of the vineyard" pointed to Jesus' crucifixion outside the walls of Jerusalem, a detail that resonated with Jewish understanding of impure things or sacrifices needing to be taken outside the camp (e.g., Lev 24:14). This act seals their guilt and foreshadows the taking away of the "vineyard" (God’s kingdom authority) from them and giving it to others (Mk 12:9). The verse starkly conveys the horrific deicide—the murder of the Son of God—orchestrated by those who should have been His greatest advocates, setting the stage for divine judgment.