MARK 12:3 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. οἱ
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. R···3NMP
7. they
8. they
9. -
10. -
11. 32476
1. Καί
2. kai
3. But
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y33
11. 32477
1. δέ
2. de
3. -
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. -
11. 32478
1. λαβόντες
2. lambanō
3. having taken
4. -
5. 29830
6. VPAA·NMP
7. ˓having˒ taken
8. ˓having˒ taken
9. -
10. Y33; R32464
11. 32479
1. αὐτόν
2. autos
3. him
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3AMS
7. him
8. him
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32480
1. ἔδειραν
2. derō
3. they beat him
4. -
5. 11940
6. VIAA3··P
7. ˱they˲ beat ‹him›
8. ˱they˲ beat ‹him›
9. -
10. Y33; R32464
11. 32481
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. -
11. 32482
1. ἀπέκτειναν
2. apokteinō
3. -
4. -
5. 6150
6. VIAA3··P
7. destroyed ‹him›
8. destroyed ‹him›
9. -
10. -
11. 32483
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. But
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32484
1. ἀπέστειλαν
2. apostellō
3. they sent him out
4. sent
5. 6490
6. VIAA3··P
7. ˱they˲ sent_out ‹him›
8. ˱they˲ sent_out ‹him›
9. -
10. Y33; R32464
11. 32485
1. κενόν
2. kenos
3. empty-handed
4. -
5. 27560
6. S····AMS
7. empty-handed
8. empty-handed
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32486
1. πρός
2. pros
3. -
4. -
5. 43140
6. P·······
7. to
8. to
9. -
10. -
11. 32487
1. αὐτόν
2. autos
3. -
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3AMS
7. him
8. him
9. -
10. -
11. 32488

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:1–12: Jesus told a parable about some evil grape farmers

In 11:28 the Jewish religious leaders asked Jesus two questions about his authority. In this section Jesus used a parable to answer those question in an indirect way. The Jewish leaders showed that they understood this parable by the way they responded in 12:12.

Jesus’ parable was about a man who owned a grape farm. He told some men to farm it for him and to give him a share of the profit. However, the men refused to give the owner his share. They even mistreated his servants who came to collect the money. When the owner sent his own son, they killed him.

Jesus used the people in the parable to represent the Jewish religious leaders and their actions toward God and toward himself, God’s son. Here are the most likely meanings of the different people and things in the parable:See Ray Summers, Commentary on Luke: Jesus, the Universal Savior, 1972, on the parallel passage in Luke 20:9–19.

The owner of the grape farm	represents	God
The grape farm	represents	Israel and its people
The grape farmers	represent	the Jewish religious leaders
The servants	represent	God’s messengers or prophets
The son	represents	Jesus

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The parable of the vineyard and its farmers

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard (GNT)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 21:33–46 and Luke 20:9–19.

12:3a

But they seized the servant, beat him,

But after the servant arrived the farmers grabbed him, and beat him
The slave left and came to the grape farm. When he gave the owner’s message to the men, they took him and beat him.

But: The Greek word that the BSB translates as But is a simple connector that is often translated as “and.” Here it introduces the next event. Some English versions do not use a connector. The BSB uses But to indicate that this verse contrasts with what the owner expected in 12:2. Connect this verse to 12:2 in a natural way in your language.

In some languages it may be natural to say explicitly that the action in this verse happened after the servant arrived at the grape farm. For example:

But after the servant arrived

they seized the servant: The grape farmers grabbed the servant and probably held him while they beat him. When the grape farmers mistreated the owner’s servant, they showed that they refused to do what the owner asked them to do. In some languages it may be helpful to make it explicit that they refused to do what the owner told them. For example:

But the tenants refused. They grabbed the servant…

beat him: The Greek word that the BSB translates as beat means to hit or whip repeatedly in a way that causes bruises.

12:3b

and sent him away empty-handed.

and sent him back without giving him anything.
Then they made him return to the owner with nothing at all.

sent him away empty-handed: The phrase sent him away empty-handed indicates that the men sent the slave back to his master without giving him any share of the harvest.

empty-handed: The word empty-handed is an idiom. It means “with nothing.” You may have a different idiom that would be appropriate in this context.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

καὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί λαβόντες αὐτόν ἔδειραν καί ἀπέστειλαν κενόν)

Here, the word And introduces what the farmers actually did in contrast to what the man who owned the vineyard wanted them to do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a contrast, or you could leave And untranslated. Alternate translation: [But]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

λαβόντες αὐτὸν

˓having˒_taken (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί λαβόντες αὐτόν ἔδειραν καί ἀπέστειλαν κενόν)

Here Jesus implies that the farmers did this once the servant arrived at the vineyard. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [after the servant arrived, having seized him]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κενόν

empty-handed

Jesus speaks of this servant as if he were a container that was empty. He means that the farmers did not give him any of the fruit from the vineyard. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [empty-handed] or [without any grapes]

TSN Tyndale Study Notes:

12:1-12 The events of 11:27–12:44 all take place in the Temple (see 11:27; 13:1). This story (literally parable) is intimately tied to the previous question about Jesus’ authority (11:27-33) by the introductory words, Then Jesus began teaching them. This parable is an extended reply by Jesus to the religious leaders.
• Jesus intended his audience to interpret this parable in light of Isa 5:1-7, a similar story of someone planting a vineyard, building a lookout tower, putting a fence around the vineyard, and digging a pit for a wine vat. A similar question is asked: What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? (Mark 12:9; cp. Isa 5:4). Isaiah specifically identifies the vineyard as the people of Israel (Isa 5:7); Jesus’ hearers and Mark’s readers would similarly have understood the present story as an allegory about the Israelites. Other details in the story are also clearly meant to be interpreted allegorically: The tenants represent the leaders of Israel; the owner represents God; the servants represent the Old Testament prophets; the beloved son represents Jesus, the Son of God; the murder of the son represents Jesus’ crucifixion; and the giving of the vineyard to others represents the judgment coming upon Israel (Mark 11:15-17; 13:1-37). The interpretation would have been more clear to Mark’s readers than to Jesus’ original audience, but the religious leaders who were Jesus’ contemporaries understood it clearly enough that they sought to kill him (12:12).

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear MARK 12:3

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 12:1–12: Jesus told a parable about some evil grape farmers

12:3a

12:3b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)