Mark 12:7

But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The tenants address themselves after the vineyard owner dispatches his final, beloved son. Their dialogue occurs at the precise moment they recognize his status and resolve to act on their greed.

The words — γεωργοὶ (geōrgoi) literally means "farmers" or "cultivators," designating those entrusted with the vineyard. ἑαυτοὺς (he'autous) translates to "themselves," marking the conversation as a closed loop of self-directed conspiracy.

The thread — The plot to murder an heir for personal gain directly parallels Genesis 37:20, where Joseph’s brothers conspire to kill him. The rebellion against the owner’s son aligns with Psalms 2:2, which describes rulers gathering against the LORD and His Anointed One.

Why it lands — The text records the tenants' explicit calculation that violence will transfer the inheritance to them. It requires the reader to acknowledge that claiming ownership through murder is a factual rejection of the owner's authority and a self-destructive act.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.

Cross-references

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 37:20 “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
Psalms 22:12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Isaiah 49:7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:16 When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Mark 12:12 At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
John 11:47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.