12:3a

But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible 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 Berean Standard Bible 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 Berean Standard Bible translates as beat means to hit or whip repeatedly in a way that causes bruises.

12:3b

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.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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