Matthew 13:18-23
New English Translation
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one[a] comes and snatches what was sown in his heart;[b] this is the seed sown along the path. 20 The[c] seed sown on rocky ground[d] is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure;[e] when[f] trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 The[g] seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth[h] choke the word,[i] so it produces nothing. 23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”[j]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 13:19 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
- Matthew 13:19 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
- Matthew 13:20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 13:20 tn Grk “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one.” The next two statements like this one have this same syntactical structure.
- Matthew 13:21 tn Grk “is temporary.”
- Matthew 13:21 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 13:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 13:22 tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”
- Matthew 13:22 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
- Matthew 13:23 tn The Greek is difficult to translate because it switches from a generic “he” to three people within this generic class (thus, something like: “Who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one instance a hundred times, in another, sixty times, in another, thirty times”).
Matthew 13:18-23
New Living Translation
18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
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