Mark 12:7

But those husbandmen said among themselves...

Parable of the Vineyard, after owner decides to send his son.

Spoken to:: challengers
KJV issues:: 6

KJV

Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.

NIV

Mark 12:7 But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

What His Listeners Heard

Those there, however, the vinedressers said to themselves Since this is the heir; here, we should kill him, and this inheritance will be ours.

Greek

Greek Word Order

ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οἱ γεωργοὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς εἶπαν
Those there, however, the vinedressers to themselves said

ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος: δεῦτε ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἡμῶν ἔσται ἡ κληρονομία.
Since this is the heir; here, we should kill him, and ours will be this inheritance .

We justify the worst stuff when we talk to ourselves.

Lost in Translation

The final word, that is, the punchline, is the Greek translated as "the inheritance." It is another way of saying "property." The other word means "heir." The root word for both means "laws" or "norms." The prefix means "allotted" so the sense is "allotted by law."

The "come" is not the normal verb meaning "come" but an adverb meaning "here" that is used like we use the word "here!" to call someone. It is not the "here" meaning "nearby."

The word translated as "those" in the KJV and left out of more modern translations means "those there" describing the vinedressers as something distant. The "this" describing the heir points out something nearer. Neither word is necessary so Jesus uses them as if he had people acting out these parts as he tells the story and he is pointing their positions out to the audience.

Vocabulary (Greek word by word)

ἐκεῖνοι [107 verses]( adj pl masc nom ) "Those" is ekeinos, which means "the person there", "that person", "that thing", "in that case", "in that way", "at that place," and "in that manner."

δὲ [446 verses] (conj/adv) "But" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so").

οἱ [821 verses](article pl masc nom ) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

γεωργοὶ ( noun pl masc nom ) "Husbandmen" is georgos), which means "husbandman", "vine dresser", "gardener," and "peasant."

πρὸς [92 verses] (prep) "Among" is pros, which means "on the side of", "in the direction of", "from (place)", "towards" "before", "in the presence of", "in the eyes of", "in the name of", "by reason of", "before (supplication)", "proceeding from (for effects)", "dependent on", "derivable from", "agreeable,""becoming", "like", "at the point of", "in addition to", "against," and "before."

ἑαυτοὺς [75 verses(pro pl masc acc) "Themselves" is heautou, is a reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself", "itself" "themselves," and "ourselves." It is an alternative to autos. -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself," and so on.

εἶπαν [162 verses]( verb 3rd pl aor ind act ) "Said" is eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) Untranslated is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

Οὗτός [83 verses](adj sg masc nom) "This" is houtos, which means "this", "that", "the nearer." As an adverb, it means "therefore," and "that is why."

ἐστιν [614 verses](3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen," and "is possible."

ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

κληρονόμος: [3 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Heir" is kleronomos, which means "heir" and "heir apparent."

δεῦτε [8 verses](adv) "Come" is from deute, which means "come here" and "come hither." It is an imperative form, indicating a command.

ἀποκτείνωμεν [31 verses](verb 1st pl pres subj act ) "Let us kill" is from apokteinô, which is a stronger form of kteinô, which means "to slay." It means to "condemn to death" and "put to death."

αὐτὸν [124 verses](pron/adj sg masc acc) "Him/It" is auton, is the masculine, accusative case of the third-person, singular adjective that is used as a pronoun. Masculine pronouns can refer to things as well as people, so it can be it." The word also means "the same," and "of one's own accord." An accusative object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement. Events may show the amount of time

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."

ἡμῶν [17 verses](pro 1st pl gen) "Our" is hemon, which is the plural possessive (genitive) form of the first-personal pronoun.

ἔσται [614 verses] ( verb 3rd sg fut ind mid ) "Shall be" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen," and "is possible."

ἡ [821 verses](article sg fen nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

κληρονομία. [3 verses] ( noun sg fem nom) "Inheritance" is kleronomia, which means "inheritance", "property," and "possession.

KJV — word by word

But -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

those - -- (CW) The word translated as "those" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there." Used a pronoun, the sense is "that one there" or "this one here." Jesus often uses it as a term of honor to refer to his father, the Spirit, prophets, and so on. Used in the form of an adverb, it means "in that case," "in that way," "at that place," and "in that manner."

missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

husbandmen -- "Husbandmen" is a noun that means "husbandman", "vine dresser", "gardener," and "peasant."

said -- "Said" is from the Greek verb that means "to say" and "to speak" also.

among -- (WW) The word translated as "among" means "towards", "by reason of (for)," and "against."

themselves, -- "Themselves" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself," and so on.

missing "since" -- (MW) The untranslated word "since" introduces a statement of fact or cause, often a causal phrase, "because" or "since."

This -- "This" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer."

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article.The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

heir; "Heir" is an uncommon noun for Jesus that means "heir" and "heir apparent."

come, -- (CW) "Come" is an adverb that means "come here" and "come hither." It is used like we use "here." This is not the word usually translated as "come."

let -- (WW) This helping verb usually indicates a third-person command in the NT, but the following verb is not a command but one that describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "we should" in English is more appropriate.

us -- This is from the first-person, plural form of the verb. A "we" is more correct.

kill -- "Kill" is a verb that is a stronger form of the verb that means "to slay." It means to "condemn to death" and "put to death."

him, -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article.The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

inheritance -- "Inheritance" is another noun from the same root as "heir" which means "inheritance", "property," and "possessions."

shall -- This helping verb indicates that the following verb is the future tense. Helping verbs are not often used in Greek but are needed to translate into English.

be -- The verb "be" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

ours. -- "Ours" is the plural genitive form of the first-personal pronoun.

NIV — word by word

missing "those there"-- (MW) The untranslated word"those" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there."

the-- The word "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

tenants -- (WW) "Tenants" is a noun that means "husbandman", "vinedresser", "gardener," and "peasant."

said -- "Said" is from the Greek verb that means "to say" and "to speak" also.

to-- The word translated as "to" means "towards", "by reason of (for)," and "against."

one another, -- (WW) "One another" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "themselves", "herself," and so on.

missing "since" -- (MW) The untranslated word "since" introduces a statement of fact or cause, often a causal phrase, "because" or "since."

This -- "This" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer."

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article.The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

heir; "Heir" is an uncommon noun for Jesus that means "heir" and "heir apparent."

come, -- (CW) "Come" is an adverb that means "come here" and "come hither." It is used like we use "here." This is not the word usually translated as "come."

's -- This is from the first-person, plural form of the verb. A "we" is more correct.

kill -- "Kill" is a verb that is a stronger form of the verb that means "to slay." It means to "condemn to death" and "put to death."

him, -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article.The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

inheritance -- "Inheritance" is another noun from the same root as "heir" which means "inheritance", "property," and "possessions."

will -- This helping verb indicates that the following verb is the future tense. Helping verbs are not often used in Greek but needed to translate it to English.

be -- The verb "be" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

ours. -- "Ours" is the plural genitive form of the first-personal pronoun.

Greek

Greek Word Order

Lost in Translation

Vocabulary (Greek word by word)

KJV — word by word

NIV — word by word

Related Verses