Mark 12:1

And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	Καὶ Kai	G2532	and · conjunction
began	ἄρχομαι árchomai	G756	to commence (in order of time)
speak	λέγω légō	G3004	properly
them	αὐτοῖς autois	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
by	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
parables	παραβολαῖς parabolais	G3850	a similitude ("parable") · noun — dative plural feminine
man	ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — nominative singular masculine
planted	ἐφύτευσεν ephuteusen	G5452	to set out in the earth · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
a vineyard	ἀμπελῶνα ampelōna	G290	a vineyard · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
set	περιέθηκεν periethēken	G4060	to place around · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
an hedge about	φραγμὸν phragmon	G5418	a fence · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
digged	ὤρυξεν ōruxen	G3736	to "burrow" in the ground · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
the winefat	ὑπολήνιον hupolēnion	G5276	vessel or receptacle under the press · noun — accusative singular neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
built	ᾠκοδόμησεν ōkodomēsen	G3618	to be a house-builder · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
a tower	πύργον purgon	G4444	a tower or castle · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
let	ἐξέδετο exedeto	G1554	to give forth · verb — second aorist middle indicative, 3rd person singular
it	αὐτὸν auton	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular masculine
out	ἐκδίδωμι ekdídōmi	G1554	to give forth
to husbandmen	γεωργοῖς geōrgois	G1092	a land-worker · noun — dative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
went into a far country	ἀπεδήμησεν apedēmēsen	G589	to go abroad · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Isaiah 5:1-4 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
Mark 13:34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and…
Song of Solomon 8:11-12 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces o…
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mark 4:2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Psalms 80:8-16 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Mark 4:33-34 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
Romans 11:17-24 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the roo…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 12:1-12

Christ had formerly in parables showed how he designed to set up the gospel church; now he begins in parables to show how he would lay aside the Jewish church, which it might have been grafted into the stock of, but was built upon the ruins of. This parable we had just as we have it here, Mat 21:33. We may observe here, I. They that enjoy the privileges of the visible church, have a vineyard let out to them, which is capable of great improvement, and from the occupiers of which rent is justly expected. When God showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and judgments unto Israel (Psa 147:19), when he set up his temple among them, his priesthood, and his ordinances, then he let out to them the…

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Adam Clarke on Mark 12:1

A certain man planted a vineyard - See this parable explained, Mat 21:33-41 (note).

John Gill on Mark 12:1

And he began to speak unto them by parables,.... As of the two sons the father bid go to work in the vineyard; and of the planting of a vineyard, and letting it out to husbandmen, as here; though the latter is only related by this evangelist, yet both are by Matthew. This was not the first time of his speaking by parables to the people, though it might be the first time he spake in this way to the chief priests and elders, and who are particularly designed in them. A certain man planted a vineyard. The Persic version adds, "with many trees": that is, with vines, though sometimes other trees, as fig trees, were planted in vineyards; see Luke 13:6. This man is, by the Evangelist Matthew, call…

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John Calvin on Mark 12:1-12

Mark 21:1-12 Matthew 21:33-46 Mark 21:1-12 Luke 20:9-19 33. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it by a ditch, and dug a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen, and went abroad, 34. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive its fruits. 35. And the husbandmen, having seized his servants, wounded one, killed another, and stoned another. 36. Again, he sent other servants more numerous [37] than the first, and they did to them in the same manner. 37. And last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38. And when the hus…

The Church Fathers

(in Marc. 3, 42) Or else, the hedge is the wall of the city, the winefat is the altar, or those winefats, by which three psalms receive their name.
— Bede ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

God the Father is called a man by a human conception. The vineyard is the house of Israel; the hedge is the guardianship of Angels; the winefat is the law, the tower is the temple, and the husbandmen, the priests.
— Pseudo-Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(ubi sup.) Not by any change of place, but He seemed to go away from the vineyard, that He might leave the husbandmen to act on their own freewill. It goes on: And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
— Bede ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Garden — Gardens in the East, as the Hebrew word indicates, are enclosures on the outskirts of towns, planted with various trees and shrubs. From the allusions in the Bible we learn that they were surrounded…
Gardens — Mentioned in Scripture, of Eden (Gen. 2:8, 9); Ahab’s garden of herbs (1 Kings 21:2); the royal garden (2 Kings 21:18); the royal garden at Susa (Esther 1:5); the garden of Joseph of Arimathea (John…
Tower — Watch-towers or fortified posts in frontier or exposed situations are mentioned in Scripture, as the tower of Edar, etc., (Genesis 35:21; Isaiah 21:5,8,11; Micah 4:8) etc.; the tower of Lebanon. (2…
Winefat — (Mark 12:1). The original word (hypolenion) so rendered occurs only here in the New Testament. It properly denotes the trough or lake (lacus), as it was called by the Romans, into which the juice of…
Capital And Labor · Strife between — Strife between
Fort · Erected in vineyards and herding grounds — Erected in vineyards and herding grounds
Hedge · A fence — A fence
Hedges · Placed around: Vineyards — Placed around: Vineyards
Husbandman · An agriculturist — An agriculturist
Lease · Of real estate — Of real estate
Malfeasance In Office · .The leasees of the vineyard, in one of the parables of Jesus — .The leasees of the vineyard, in one of the parables of Jesus
Self-Condemnation · General scriptures concerning

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 12:1-12

Adam Clarke on Mark 12:1

John Gill on Mark 12:1

John Calvin on Mark 12:1-12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 12:1-12

Adam Clarke on Mark 12:1

John Gill on Mark 12:1

John Calvin on Mark 12:1-12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Mark 12:1-12