Mark 12:4

And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) At him they cast stones.—The participle so rendered is wanting in the best MSS., and probably originated in a marginal note explaining how the labourers wounded the second servant.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

12:1-12 Christ showed in parables, that he would lay aside the Jewish church. It is sad to think what base usage God's faithful ministers have met with in all ages, from those who have enjoyed the privileges of the church, but have not brought forth fruit answerable. God at length sent his Son, his Well-beloved; and it might be expected that he whom their Master loved, they also should respect and love; but instead of honouring him because he was the Son and Heir, they therefore hated him. But the exaltation of Christ was the Lord's doing; and it is his doing to exalt him in our hearts, and to set up his throne there; and if this be done, it cannot but be marvellous in our eyes. The Scriptures, and faithful preachers, and the coming of Christ in the flesh, call on us to render due praise to God in our lives. Let sinners beware of a proud, carnal spirit; if they revile or despise the preachers of Christ, they would have done so their Master, had they lived when he was upon earth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this parable explained in the notes at Matthew 21:33-46.

See this parable explained in the notes at Matthew 21:33-46.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 12

Mr 12:1-12. Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. ( = Mt 21:33-46; Lu 20:9-18).

See on [1481]Mt 21:33-46.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 12:1"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And again he sent unto them another servant,.... Another set of good men, to instruct, advise, and counsel them, and exhort them to their duty; such as were Isaiah, Zechariah, and others:

and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head; for of these were stoned, as well as sawn asunder, and slain with the sword; though it seems, that this servant, or this set of men, were not stoned to death, because he was afterwards said to be sent away: nor could the stoning be what was done by the order of the sanhedrim, which was done by letting an heavy stone fail upon the heart (k); but this was done by all the people, by the outrageous zealots, in the manner Stephen was stoned. Dr. Lightfoot thinks, the usual sense of the Greek word may be retained; which signifies "to reduce", or "gather into a certain sum": and so as this servant was sent to reckon with these husbandmen, and take an account from them of the fruit of the vineyard, one cast a stone at him, saying, there is fruit for you; and a second cast another stone, saying the same thing; and so they went on one after another, till at last they said, in a deriding way, now the sum is made up with you:

and sent him away shamefully handled; with great ignominy and reproach.

(k) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 6. sect. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 12:4. ἐκεφαλί (αί, T.R.) ωσαν: ought to mean, summed up (κεφάλαιον, Hebrews 8:1 = the crown of what has been spoken), but generally taken to mean “smote on the head” (“in capite vulneraverunt,” Vulg[110]). A “veritable solecism,” Meyer (“Mk. confounded κεφαλαιόω with κεφαλίζω”). Field says: “We can only conjecture that the evangelist adopted ἐκεφαλαίωσαν, a known word in an unknown sense, in preference to ἐκεφάλωσαν, of which both sound and sense were unknown”.

[110] Vulgate (Jerome’s revision of old Latin version).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. wounded him in the head] The original word, which generally denotes to comprehend in one sum, or under one head, is nowhere else used in this sense. Some MSS. omit the words they cast stones, and instead of “sent him away shamefully handled,” read simply, “used him shamefully” (comp. 2 Samuel 10:4). Thus Jezebel “slew the prophets of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:13); Micaiah was thrown into a dungeon by Ahab (1 Kings 22:24-27); Elijah was threatened with death by Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2); Elisha by Jehoram (2 Kings 6:31); Zechariah was stoned at the commandment of Joash (2 Chronicles 24:21; comp. 2 Chronicles 36:16); Jeremiah was stoned by the exiles in Egypt; Isaiah, according to Jewish tradition, was sawn asunder (Hebrews 11:37-38; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 12:4. Ἐκεφαλαίωσαν, wounded him in the head) So γναθοῦν, γυιοῦν, similarly constructed forms of verb, occur in Hesychius.

Mark 12:4