Mark 12:7 (WEB)

Passage

But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

Nearby Context

Mark 12:5 Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some.

Mark 12:6 Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

Mark 12:7 But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

Mark 12:8 They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

Mark 12:9 What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "farmers", "said", "themselves", "heir", "come", "kill", "inheritance", and "ours". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "farmers" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Therefore still having one his beloved son..." into verse 8's "They took him killed him and cast...", so "farmers" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "farmers" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.