Luke 20,13 and i[sw" Luke’s parable of the Tenants (usually cited as 20,9-18), tells of a vineyard owner. In an attempt to receive his share of the vineyard produce, this owner sent a servant to the vineyard workers, only to have this servant beaten and sent away; the same thing happened in regard to two subsequent servants. At this point, the vineyard owner decides to send not another servant, but his son, his beloved son. His reasoning for this choice is: i[sw" tou'ton ejntraphvsontai (v. 13). Many contemporary interpretations translate this sentence: “perhaps they will respect him” (ESV, NAU, NIV, NJB, NRS), or the equivalent: “it may be they will reverence him” (ASV), “it may be they will respect him” (RSV) or: “maybe they will respect him (NAB)”. 1. Reflection on the meaning “perhaps”, “maybe” in the Gospel parable There seems to be something amiss in understanding the sentence in any of these ways. The vineyard owner knows what the treatment of his servants has been: painful mistreatment, humiliating rejection. In this situation, does the vineyard owner make sense when he says that “maybe” or “perhaps” his son will find respect? It seems that he knows his son, in this venture, will have at best only half a chance to avoid a beating, a traumatizing and humbling dismissal or violent rejection from the workers at the scene. Would he wisely send his son at these odds? his beloved son? The reasoning expressed in these translations depends totally on the meaning of i[sw". 2. read as “equally”, “surely”, “particularly” in LXX “Isw" The adverb i[sw" is formed from the adjective i[so". According to BDAG, this adjective means “equal”, “the same (degree of)” and in adverbial phrases means “equally”, “alike” (1). When one considers i[sw", then, it seems reasonable to say that it means “equally”. In fact BDAG’s note says that LXX uses i[sw" in the sense of “equally” (2). A look at LXX, a font with which Luke is very familiar, shows that i[sw" is properly understood as “equally” in the following readings: Now David had said, ‘Surely (i[sw") in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness’ (ESV; the same in NAB, NAU, NIV, NJB, NRS, RSV) (1 Sam 25,21). Then I said, Surely these are poor (ASV) (Jer 5,4). While many other translations of Jer 5,4 do not translate i[sw" explicitly, their readings offer no suggestion along the lines of “perhaps” or “maybe” (ESV, NAB, NAU, NIV, NJB, NRS, RSV). (1) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Litera- ture (ed. F.W. DANKER) (Chicago – London 32000) 480-481. (2) Cf. “i[sw" = “equally”; Theognis; ins, pap, LXX”, BDAG, 484.