Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
Mk 4:1–9; Lk 8:4–8
1#Mt 13:36; Mk 2:13That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2#Lk 5:3Great crowds assembled around Him, so that He went into a boat and sat there. And the whole assembly stood on the shore. 3#Mt 13:10–13; 13:34–35Then He told them many things in parables, saying, “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4While he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5But other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they did not have deep soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they did not take root, they withered away. 7Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8#Ge 26:12; Mt 13:23But other seeds fell into good ground and produced grain: a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much. 9#Mt 11:15; Rev 2:7Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
Mk 4:10–12; Lk 8:9–10
10The disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11#1Jn 2:27; Mt 16:17He answered them, “It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12#Mt 25:29; Lk 8:18For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13#Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2Therefore I speak to them in parables:
‘Because they look, but do not see.
And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’#Isa 56:7.
14#Isa 6:9–10; Mk 4:12In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive;#Isa 6:9.
15#Heb 5:11; Ps 119:70 for this people’s heart has grown dull.
Their ears have become hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I should heal them.’#A talent was worth several hundred pounds.
16#Mt 16:17; Lk 10:23–24But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17#Jn 8:56; Heb 11:13For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Mk 4:13–20; Lk 8:11–15
18“Therefore listen to the parable of the sower. 19#Mt 4:23; 13:38When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed beside the path. 20#Isa 58:2; Eze 33:31–32But he who received the seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21#Mt 11:6; Hos 6:4yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, eventually he falls away. 22#1Ti 6:9–10; 6:17He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23#Mt 13:8; Jn 15:16; Php 1:11But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. Some produce a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24#Mt 13:33; 13:47He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
27“So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28“He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
29“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them. 30#Mt 3:12Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and theYeast
Mk 4:30–32; Lk 13:18–21
31#Mt 13:24; Mk 4:30–32He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. 32#Eze 31:6; Da 4:12This indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest among herbs and is a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33#Lk 13:21; Gal 5:9He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast which a woman took and mixed in sixty pounds#Gk. 3 sata, about 22 liters each. of meal until it had leavened the whole batch.”
The Use of Parables
Mk 4:33–34
34#Mk 4:33–34; Jn 16:25Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. And without a parable He did not speak to them, 35#Ps 78:2; Ro 16:25–26to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will say things which have been kept secret since the foundation of the world.”#Ps 78:2.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36#Mt 13:1Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38#Jn 8:44; Ac 13:10the field is the world, and the good seed are the sons ofthe kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. 39#Mt 24:3; Joel 3:13The enemy who sowed them is thedevil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
40“Therefore as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 41#Mt 24:31; 18:7The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do evil, 42#Mt 8:12; 13:50; 22:13and will throw them into a fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43#Da 12:3; Mt 11:15Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun#Da 12:3. in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44#Isa 55:1; Pr 23:23“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. And with joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47#Mt 4:19“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, they drew it to shore, sat down, and gathered the good into baskets, but threw the bad away. 49#Mt 13:39So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50#Mt 8:12; 13:42and throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Treasures New and Old
51#Mt 13:11Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all of these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52#Mt 12:35; 23:34Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is master of the household who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
Mk 6:1–6; Lk 4:16–30
53When Jesus finished these parables, He departed from there. 54#Mt 2:23; 4:23When He came to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55#Mk 6:3; Lk 3:23Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57#Lk 4:24; Jn 4:44And they took offense at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”
58And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
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Matthew 13: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb was sitting by the sea.#That is, the Sea of Galilee 2And large crowds gathered close around him, so that he got into a boat to sit down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore. 3And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow, 4and while he was sowing, some seed#Literally “some of which” fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb devoured it. 5And other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have any depth of soil. 6But when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“rose”) the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have enough root, it withered. 7And other seed fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it. 8But other seed fell on the good soil and produced grain,#Literally “fruit,” describing here the grain harvested from the healthy plants; in contemporary English this would more naturally be expressed by terms like “grain” or “crop” this one a hundred times as much and this one sixty and this one thirty. 9The one who has ears, let him hear!”
The Reason for the Parables
10And the disciples came up and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came up”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, “Why#Literally “because of what” do you speak to them in parables?” 11And he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted. 12For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, 14and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says,
“You will listen carefully#Literally “with hearing you will hear” and will never understand,
and you will look closely#Literally “seeing you will see” and will never perceive.
15For the heart of this people has become dull,
and with their ears they hear with difficulty,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.”#A quotation from Isa 6:9–10
16But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it!#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
The Parable of the Sower Interpreted
18“You, therefore, listen to the parable of the sower: 19When#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“hears”) anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown on the side of the path. 20And what was sown on the rocky ground—this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21But he does not have a root in himself, but lasts only a little while,#Literally “is temporary” and when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“happens”) affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22And what was sown into the thorn plants—this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of this world#Some manuscripts have “of the world” and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unproductive. 23But what was sown on the good soil—this is the one who hears the word and understands it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundred times as much, and this one sixty, and this one thirty.”
The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat
24He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while his#Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel#A weed that looks similar to wheat but has poisonous seeds in the midst of the wheat and went away. 26So when the wheat#Literally “grass,” “hay,” but in this context referring to the good plants as opposed to the weeds sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also. 27So the slaves of the master of the house came and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?’ 28And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go”) has been translated as an English infinitive gather them?’ 29But he said, “No, lest when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“gather”) which is understood as temporal gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, “First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.” ’ ”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb sowed in his field. 32It#Literally “which,” but a new sentence is started here in the English translation is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
The Parable of the Yeast
33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb put into three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
Parables Fulfill Prophecy
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and he was saying nothing to them without a parable, 35in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, who said,
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden since the creation.”#A quotation from Ps 78:2#Some manuscripts have “since the creation of the world”
The Parable of the Weeds Interpreted
36Then he left the crowds and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, “Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us.” 37So he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. 39And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned#Some manuscripts have “burned up” with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace.#An allusion to Dan 3:6 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.#An allusion to Dan 12:3 The one who has ears, let him hear!
The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in a Field
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“found”) has been translated as a finite verb concealed, and in his joy he goes and sells everything that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Valuable Pearl
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46And when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“found”) which is understood as temporal found one very valuable pearl, he went and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb sold everything that he possessed and purchased it.
The Parable of the Dragnet
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation of every kind, 48which when it was filled they pulled to shore and sat down and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sat down”) has been translated as a finite verb collected the good fish#*Here the word “fish” is not in the Greek text but is implied into containers, but the bad they threw out. 49Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace.#An allusion to Dan 3:6 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “For this reason every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of the house who brings out of his storeroom new things and old things.”
Rejected at Nazareth
53And it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables he went away from there. 54And he came to his hometown and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb began to teach#The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”) them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said, “From where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55Is not this one the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? From where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own household.” 58And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.
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