Matthew 21:43
in Matthew 21Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
KJV
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
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This verse in Matthew 21
Commentary
3 notes on this verse(Verse 43.) Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it will be given to a nation producing its fruits. I have said many times that the kingdom of God is to be understood as the holy Scriptures, which the Lord took away from the Jews and gave to us, so that we may produce their fruits. This is the vineyard that is entrusted to the farmers and winegrowers, and those who do not work in it, having only the name of the Scriptures, will lose the fruits of the vineyard.
This site's exposition
The stone which the builders rejected
on Matthew 21:42-44
Jesus answers their own sentence with Psalm 118:22-23, the stone which the builders rejected, the same psalm the crowd sang at his entry a few days before, so the chapter is bracketed by one song of praise and one saying of rejection drawn from the identical psalm. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof carries several honored readings: that the rulers of that generation are judged and stewardship passes to a believing remnant joined by the nations, or that it names the church gathered from Jew and Gentile alike; none of these readings is read here as God's final rejection of Israel as a people, since Paul will later insist God hath not cast away his people. The falling stone of verse 44 draws on Isaiah 8:14 and Daniel 2:34-35's stone that grinds the kingdoms to powder, the same stone chain the Old Testament briefs carried through Daniel, arriving here at the person it was always about.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Therefore say I - Thus showing them, that to them alone the parable belonged. The kingdom of God shall be taken from you - the Gospel shall be taken from you, and given to the Gentiles, who will receive it, and bring forth fruit to the glory of God. Bringing forth the fruits - As in Mat 21:34 an allusion is made to paying the landlord in kind, so here the Gentiles are represented as paying God thus.
The words behind it
19 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| διὰ | dia | Because of | G1223 → | 664 times |
| τοῦτο | touto | this | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| λέγω | lego | I say | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ὑμῖν | humin | to you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἀρθήσεται | arthesetai | it will be taken away | G142 → | 100 times |
| ἀφ᾽ | aph᾽ | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| ὑμῶν | humon | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| βασιλεία | basileia | kingdom | G932 → | 162 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεοῦ | theou | of God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| δοθήσεται | dothesetai | it will be given | G1325 → | 412 times |
| ἔθνει | ethnei | to a people | G1484 → | 161 times |
| ποιοῦντι | poiounti | producing | G4160 → | 569 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καρποὺς | karpous | fruits | G2590 → | 66 times |
| αὐτῆς. | autes | of it. | G846 → | 5565 times |
διὰBecause of
diaG1223 →664 times
τοῦτοthis
toutoG3778 →1381 times
λέγωI say
legoG3004 →1325 times
ὑμῖνto you
huminG4771 →2973 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἀρθήσεταιit will be taken away
arthesetaiG142 →100 times
ἀφ᾽from
aph᾽G575 →640 times
ὑμῶνyou
humonG4771 →2973 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
βασιλείαkingdom
basileiaG932 →162 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
θεοῦof God
theouG2316 →1312 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
δοθήσεταιit will be given
dothesetaiG1325 →412 times
ἔθνειto a people
ethneiG1484 →161 times
ποιοῦντιproducing
poiountiG4160 →569 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
καρποὺςfruits
karpousG2590 →66 times
αὐτῆς.of it.
autesG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
it leads to
- Exodus 19:5–6
Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.
- Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of…
- Revelation 1:6
who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
- Revelation 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
- Isaiah 61:6
But you will be called the priests of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their…
- Exodus 19:5–6
Through
John 3:3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
- John 3:5–6
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- 1 Peter 1:23–25
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Where this verse is studied
About Matthew
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew and John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists.