In both Mark and Luke, there are initially only only one servant. Here there are three. However, each of them suffers a singular fate. The word translated as "one" actually a demonstrative pronoun that means "this." The way that the three characters are separate makes it seem the scene was acted out.
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Today's Verse Analysis
This continues the lesson about authority and trust to a story about how not trusting those in power leads to a predictable result.
Spoken to
audience
KJV Verse
Matthew 21:35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
NIV Verse:
Matthew 21:35 The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
What His Listeners Heard:
And the vine dressers getting those servants of his, this one indeed they cudgeled, this one, however, they destroyed, this one, however, they stoned.
Lost In Translation:
KJV w/Translation Issues :
And the husbandmen took his (MW) servants, and beat one(CW), and killed another, and stoned another(CW).
KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.
Constantly Updated
My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.
What Jesus's Listeners Heard
The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.
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See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.
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Christ's Words in Matthew as a Guide to 40 Days of Prayer.