He shall come and destroy these husbandmen
Which had its accomplishment at the destruction of Jerusalem:
according to the other evangelists, these words are the answer of
the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, to the above questions
put to them by Christ, after he had delivered the parable; but
here they seem to be the words of Christ, who also said the same,
and confirmed what they had observed, and could not but own, that
it was just and right, and what might be expected, with what
follows:
and shall give the vineyard to others;
the land of Judea to the Romans in particular, and the church
state, with the Gospel and ordinances of it, to the Gentiles in
general, sometimes called "others"; (See Gill on Luke
5:29) and (See Gill on Luke
18:11).
and when they heard it, they said, God forbid;
though they were their own words, yet repeated and confirmed by
Christ, and perceiving that they were the persons intended,
deprecate the fulfilment of them; at least so far as they
understood they related to the killing of the Messiah, and to the
destruction of their nation, city, and temple.
