The Greek word ampelṓn (ἀμπελών) means vineyard — the cultivated plot of ground where grapevines are grown. It appears extensively in the parables of Jesus as the locus of God's relationship with His people and their response to His messengers.
The vineyard parables are among Jesus's most piercing. In the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46), God is the landowner who plants a ampelṓn, leases it to tenant farmers, and sends servants (the prophets) who are beaten and killed — finally sending His own Son, who is also killed. The vineyard represents the covenant community; the tenants represent Israel's leaders; the Son is Jesus. The parable ends with the vineyard transferred to those who will produce its fruit — a warning and an invitation. The vineyard belongs to God; workers in it are stewards, not owners.