# Matthew 21.34-38

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-11-12 | updated: 2026-11-12 -->

**Book:** [Matthew](/codex/matthew/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 32. <span class="rl-speech">For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.</span> 33. <span class="rl-speech">Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country.</span>
>
> **34. <span class="rl-speech">And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits.</span> 35. <span class="rl-speech">And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.</span> 36. <span class="rl-speech">Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">But afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.</span>**
>
> 39. <span class="rl-speech">And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.</span> 40. <span class="rl-speech">When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?</span> (Matthew 21:32-40, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 32. <span class="rl-speech">For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward, that you might believe him.</span> 33. <span class="rl-speech">“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country.</span>
>
> **34. <span class="rl-speech">When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit.</span> 35. <span class="rl-speech">The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.</span> 36. <span class="rl-speech">Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and seize his inheritance.’</span>**
>
> 39. <span class="rl-speech">So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.</span> 40. <span class="rl-speech">When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”</span> (Matthew 21:32-40, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 32. <span class="rl-speech">For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.</span> 33. <span class="rl-speech">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:</span>
>
> **34. <span class="rl-speech">And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.</span> 35. <span class="rl-speech">And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.</span> 36. <span class="rl-speech">Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.</span> 38. 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.**
>
> 39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? (Matthew 21:32-40, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 32. <span class="rl-speech">for John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him, and the tax-gatherers and the harlots did believe him, and ye, having seen, repented not at last, to believe him.</span> 33. <span class="rl-speech">'Hear ye another simile: There was a certain man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and did put a hedge round it, and digged in it a wine-press, and built a tower, and gave it out to husbandmen, and went abroad.</span>
>
> **34. <span class="rl-speech">'And when the season of the fruits came nigh, he sent his servants unto the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it,</span> 35. <span class="rl-speech">and the husbandmen having taken his servants, one they scourged, and one they killed, and one they stoned.</span> 36. <span class="rl-speech">'Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did to them in the same manner.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">'And at last he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son;</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">and the husbandmen having seen the son, said among themselves, This is the heir, come, we may kill him, and may possess his inheritance;</span>**
>
> 39. <span class="rl-speech">and having taken him, they cast [him] out of the vineyard, and killed him;</span> 40. <span class="rl-speech">whenever therefore the lord of the vineyard may come, what will he do to these husbandmen?'</span> (Matthew 21:32-40, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- None of the words in this verse has its own lexicon entry yet.


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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Deuteronomy 28-68 Slave Trade Prophecy Objection Defeater](/codex/deuteronomy-28-68-slave-trade-prophecy-objection-defeater/), via [Matthew 21.33-46](/codex/matthew-21-33-46/)
- [Sent One Cannot Be God Objection Defeater](/codex/sent-one-cannot-be-god-objection-defeater/)

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Matthew 21.24-46](/codex/matthew-21-24-46/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.