Luke 20:14 Meaning and Explanation
“But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Seeing the son, the tenants reason together: this is the heir — kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.
What Does Luke 20:14 Mean?
The tenants recognize the son at once. Their crime will not be mistaken identity but calculated covetousness: with the heir dead, they imagine the vineyard finally theirs. Jesus is voicing the council's own secret deliberations — even now they seek how to destroy him (Luke 19:47).
Here is sin's oldest logic laid bare: be rid of the one to whom we must answer, and the gifts will be ours without the Giver. Every heart that wants God's blessings without God's claim rehearses the tenants' reasoning in miniature. But the inheritance belongs to the Son alone — and the wonder of the gospel is that what they tried to seize by murder, he turns and shares with all who are his (Romans 8:17).
Luke 20:14 in the Original Language
kleronomos (κληρονόμος), 'heir' -- the one to whom the inheritance rightfully falls.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 20:14
What does Luke 20:14 mean?
Seeing the son, the tenants reason together: this is the heir — kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.