Luke 20:16

16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Heaven forbid!"

Luke 20:16 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 20:16

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.

Luke 20:16 In-Context

14 But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, "This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.'

15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Heaven forbid!"

17 But he looked at them and said, "What then does this text mean: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."