Matthew 13:1-9
New English Translation
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.[a] 2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat[b] to sit while[c] the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 He[d] told them many things in parables,[e] saying: “Listen![f] A sower went out to sow.[g] 4 And as he sowed, some seeds[h] fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other[i] seeds fell on rocky ground[j] where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep.[k] 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns,[l] and they grew up and choked them.[m] 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 The one who has ears had better listen!”[n]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 13:1 sn Here lake refers to the Sea of Galilee.
- Matthew 13:2 sn See the note at Matt 4:21 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Matthew 13:2 tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.
- Matthew 13:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
- Matthew 13:3 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
- Matthew 13:3 tn Grk “Behold.”
- Matthew 13:3 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.
- Matthew 13:4 tn In Matthew’s version of this parable, plural pronouns are used to refer to the seed in v. 4 (ἅ…αὐτά [ha…auta]), although the collective singular is used in v. 5 and following (indicated by the singular verbs like ἔπεσεν [epesen]). For the sake of consistency in English, plural pronouns referring to the seed are used in the translation throughout the Matthean account. In both Mark and Luke the collective singular is used consistently throughout (cf. Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8).
- Matthew 13:5 tn Here and in vv. 7 and 8 δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 13:5 sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
- Matthew 13:5 tn Grk “because it did not have depth of earth.”
- Matthew 13:7 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to 6 feet in height and have a major root system.
- Matthew 13:7 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
- Matthew 13:9 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:1-9
SBL Greek New Testament
13 [a]Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς [b]τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν· 2 καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν [c]εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει. 3 καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν. 4 καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ [d]ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά. 5 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς, 6 ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη. 7 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ [e]ἔπνιξαν αὐτά. 8 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. 9 ὁ ἔχων [f]ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:1 Ἐν WH Treg NIV ] + δὲ RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:1 τῆς WH Treg NIV ] ἀπὸ τῆς RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:2 εἰς WH Treg NIV ] + τὸ RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:4 ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ WH NIV ] ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ RP; ἦλθον τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ Treg
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:7 ἔπνιξαν NIV ] ἀπέπνιξαν WH Treg RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 13:9 ὦτα WH NIV ] + ἀκούειν Treg RP
Mark 4:1-9
New English Translation
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat[a] on the lake and sat there while[b] the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake. 2 He taught them many things in parables,[c] and in his teaching said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow.[d] 4 And as he sowed, some seed[e] fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground[f] where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.[g] 6 When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root,[h] it withered. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[i] and they grew up and choked it,[j] and it did not produce grain. 8 But[k] other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times.” 9 And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!”[l]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 4:1 sn See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Mark 4:1 tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.
- Mark 4:2 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. 2:19-22; 3:23-25; 4:3-9, 26-32; 7:15-17; 13:28), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
- Mark 4:3 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God (cf. 4:11).
- Mark 4:4 tn Mark’s version of the parable, like Luke’s (cf. Luke 8:4-8), uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pronouns have been used consistently throughout this parable in the English translation. However, the parallel account in Matt 13:1-9 begins with plural pronouns in v. 4 but then switches to the collective singular in v. 5 ff.
- Mark 4:5 sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
- Mark 4:5 tn Grk “it had no depth of earth.”
- Mark 4:6 tn Grk “it did not have root.”
- Mark 4:7 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to 6 feet in height and have a major root system.
- Mark 4:7 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
- Mark 4:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.
- Mark 4:9 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:1-9
SBL Greek New Testament
4 Καὶ πάλιν ἤρξατο διδάσκειν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν. καὶ [a]συνάγεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλος [b]πλεῖστος, ὥστε αὐτὸν [c]εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς [d]ἦσαν. 2 καὶ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ἐν παραβολαῖς πολλά καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ· 3 Ἀκούετε. ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ [e]σπείρων σπεῖραι. 4 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ σπείρειν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό. 5 [f]καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ πετρῶδες [g]ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ [h]εὐθὺς ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· 6 [i]καὶ ὅτε ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος [j]ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη. 7 καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ συνέπνιξαν αὐτό, καὶ καρπὸν οὐκ ἔδωκεν. 8 καὶ [k]ἄλλα ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ [l]αὐξανόμενα, καὶ ἔφερεν [m]ἓν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑκατόν. 9 καὶ ἔλεγεν· [n]Ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:1 συνάγεται WH Treg NIV ] συνήχθη RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:1 πλεῖστος WH Treg NIV ] πολύς RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:1 εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα WH Treg NIV ] ἐμβάντα εἰς τὸ πλοῖον RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:1 ἦσαν WH Treg NIV ] ἦν RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:3 σπείρων WH NIV ] + τοῦ Treg RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:5 καὶ ἄλλο WH Treg NIV ] Ἄλλο δὲ RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:5 ὅπου NIV RP ] καὶ ὅπου WH Treg
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:5 εὐθὺς WH Treg NIV ] εὐθέως RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:6 καὶ ὅτε ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος WH Treg NIV ] ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:6 ἐκαυματίσθη WH RP NA ] ἐκαυματίσθησαν Treg NIV
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:8 ἄλλα WH NIV ] ἄλλο Treg RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:8 αὐξανόμενα WH NIV ] αὐξανόμενον Treg; αὐξάνοντα RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:8 ἓν … ἓν … ἓν NIV ] εἰς … ἐν … ἐν WH; εἰς … εἰς … εἰς Treg; ἐν … ἐν … ἐν RP
- ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 4:9 Ὃς ἔχει WH Treg NIV ] Ὃ ἔχων RP
Luke 8:4-8
New English Translation
The Parable of the Sower
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[a] from one town after another,[b] he spoke to them[c] in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow[d] his seed.[e] And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds[f] devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on rock,[g] and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[h] and they grew up with it and choked[i] it. 8 But[j] other seed fell on good soil and grew,[k] and it produced a hundred times as much grain.”[l] As he said this,[m] he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”[n]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 8:4 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 8:4 tn This phrase renders a distributive use of κατά (kata) with πόλις (polis), literally “according to [each] town.”
- Luke 8:4 tn The words “to them” do not appear in the Greek text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 8:5 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable is a field through which a well-worn path runs in the Palestinian countryside. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots: Isa 55:10-11.
- Luke 8:5 tn Luke’s version of the parable, like Mark’s (cf. Mark 4:1-9) uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pronouns have been used consistently throughout this parable in the English translation. However, the parallel account in Matt 13:1-9 begins with plural pronouns in v. 4 but then switches to the collective singular in v. 5 ff.
- Luke 8:5 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
- Luke 8:6 sn The rock in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
- Luke 8:7 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to 6 feet in height and have a major root system.
- Luke 8:7 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
- Luke 8:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.
- Luke 8:8 tn Grk “when it grew, after it grew.”
- Luke 8:8 sn Unlike the parallel accounts in Matt 13:8 and Mark 4:8, there is no distinction in yield in this version of the parable.
- Luke 8:8 tn Grk “said these things.”
- Luke 8:8 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35).
ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 8:4-8
SBL Greek New Testament
4 Συνιόντος δὲ ὄχλου πολλοῦ καὶ τῶν κατὰ πόλιν ἐπιπορευομένων πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν διὰ παραβολῆς· 5 Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ κατεπατήθη καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατέφαγεν αὐτό. 6 καὶ ἕτερον [a]κατέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα. 7 καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀκανθῶν, καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό. 8 καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, καὶ φυὲν ἐποίησεν καρπὸν ἑκατονταπλασίονα. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 8:6 κατέπεσεν WH Treg NIV ] ἔπεσεν RP
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked SBLGNT are from the The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software