Matthew 21:35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one...

Spoken to
audience

This continues the lesson about authority and trust to a story about how not trusting those in power leads to a predictable result.

KJV

Matthew 21:35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

NIV

Matthew 21:35 The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

LISTENERS HEARD

And getting, the vine dressers, those servants of his, this one indeed they cudgeled, this one, however, they destroyed, this one, however, they stoned.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

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.

EACH WORD of KJV

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") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

husbandmen  - The word translated as "to husbandmen" means to those "tilling the ground," and from that, "vine dresser," "gardener," and "peasant."

took  - The word translated as "Took" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. However, it is also used to mean "seize," the meaning here. It is in the form of an adjective, "seizing."

his - The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.   This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

servants, -- The noun translated as "servant" means "slave." It is translated as "servant" to update the Bible.

and -- The "and" here is a particle, which. when used alone. expresses certainty, "truly" and "certainly," but when used with the conjunctions below--translated as "and" but meaning "but"--joins a number of clauses. 

beat  - "Beat" is from a verb that means to "skin," "flay," of animals, colloquially, "cudgel," and "thrash."

one,  - (CW) The word translated as "one" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this," "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand," but because of the particle that started this series, "and" works. 

killed  - "Killed" is translated from a Greek word that means "destroy" more than just "kill" because the base word means "slay." The Greek source has the sense of "kill off," that is, destroy in a more thorough way. When we talk about "destroying" someone, we use it to mean destroying their reputation, the strength of their spirit and ideas as well as physically killing them. This is more the sense here.

another,  - (CW) The word translated as "another" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this," "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause. The sense is
"this one."

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand," but because of the particle that started this series, "and" works. 

stoned  - Stoned" is from a verb that means "to pelt with stones." It is not the same word usually used to describe an executions by stoning.

another.  - (CW) The word translated as "another" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this," "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause.

EACH WORD of NIV

The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

καὶ (conj/adv)  "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." 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."

λαβόντες [54 verse](part pl aor act masc nom) "Took" is lambano means to "take," "take hold of," "grasp," "seize," "catch," "overtake," "find out," "detect," "take as," "take [food or drugs]," "understand," "take in hand," "undertake," "take in," "hold," "get," "receive [things]," "receive hospitably," "receive in marriage," "receive as produce," "profit," "admit," "initiate," "take hold of," "lay hold on," "seize and keep hold of," "obtain possession of," "lay hands upon," "find fault with," "censure," "to apprehend with the senses," "to take hold of," and "to seize." It is also specifically used to mean "seized with emotion."

οἱ (article pl masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

γεωργοὶ [13 verses](adj pl masc nom) "The husbandmen" is georgos, which means "tilling the ground," and from that, "husbandman," "vine dresser," "gardener," and "peasant."

τοὺς (article sg masc/neut gen)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

δούλους (noun pl masc acc)"Servants" is from doulos, which means a "slave," a "born bondsman," or "one made a slave."

αὐτοῦ (adj sg masc/neut gen) "His" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

ὃν (pron sg masc acc indeclform) "One" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. -- The word translated as "that" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause.

μὲν [31 verses](partic)Untranslated is men, which is generally used to express certainty and means "indeed," "certainly," "surely," and "truly."

ἔδειραν, [1 verse](verb 3rd pl aor ind act) "Beat" is duro, which means to "skin," "flay," of animals, colloquially, "cudgel," and "thrash."

ὃν (pron sg masc acc indeclform) "Another" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

δὲ (conj) "And" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").

ἀπέκτειναν, [31 verses](verb 3rd pl aor ind act) "Killed" is apokteino, which means "to kill," and "to slay." It combines the word for "to slay" (kteino) with the proposition, apo, indicating separation, meaning "from" or "away from."but it is a stronger form than the normal verb kteino. It is more like our "destroy." It is in the form of a present participle, "destroying" acting as a noun ("those destroying").

ὃν (pron sg masc acc indeclform) "Another" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. -- The word translated as "that" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause.

δὲ (conj) "And" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so"). --

ἐλιθοβόλησαν. [3 verses](verb 3rd pl aor ind act) "Stoned" is lithoboleo, which means "to pelt with stones."

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