Matthew 13:3

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

He told them many things in parables, saying:“Listen! A sower went out to sow.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς, λέγων, Ἰδού, ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν·

Transliteration

And elalēsen to them polla in parabolais, legōn, Idou, exēlthen the speirōn tou speirein;

Grammar Details

• *elalēsen*: aorist, 3rd singular - spoke/said
• *autois*: dative, masculine, plural - to them
• *polla*: accusative, neuter, plural - many things
• *en*: preposition + dative - in/with
• *parabolais*: dative, feminine, plural - parables
• *legōn*: present participle, nominative, masculine, singular - saying
• *Idou*: imperative - behold/look
• *exēlthen*: aorist, 3rd singular - went out
• *speirōn*: present participle, nominative, masculine, singular - sower/one who sows
• *tou speirein*: genitive article + present infinitive - to sow/for sowing [purpose]

Word Meanings

• *elalēsen*: spoke/said/talked
• *parabolais*: parables/similitudes/analogies
• *Idou*: behold/look/see
• *speirōn*: sower/one who sows/seeder
• *tou speirein*: to sow/for the purpose of sowing

Referenced Verses

• Mark 4:2-9 : 2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. 6 When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, it withered. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked it, and it did not produce grain. 8 But 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!”
• Mark 4:13 : 13 He said to them,“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable?
• Mark 4:33 : 33 The Use of Parables So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear.
• Matt 13:34-35 : 34 The Purpose of Parables Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:“I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”
• Matt 13:53 : 53 Rejection at Nazareth Now when Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there.
• Matt 13:10-13 : 10 Then the disciples came to him and said,“Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He replied,“You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand.
• John 16:25 : 25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; a time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
• Matt 22:1 : 1 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
• Matt 24:32 : 32 The Parable of the Fig Tree“Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
• Mark 3:23 : 23 So he called them and spoke to them in parables:“How can Satan cast out Satan?
• Mark 12:1 : 1 The Parable of the Tenants Then he began to speak to them in parables:“A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
• Mark 12:12 : 12 Now they wanted to arrest him(but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So they left him and went away.
• Luke 8:5-8 : 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. 8 But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said this, he called out,“The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”
• Luke 8:10 : 10 He said,“You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.
• Luke 12:41 : 41 Then Peter said,“Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”
• Judg 9:8-9 : 8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree,‘Be our king!’ 9 But the olive tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 10 “So the trees said to the fig tree,‘You come and be our king!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 12 “So the trees said to the grapevine,‘You come and be our king!’ 13 But the grapevine said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush,‘You come and be our king!’ 15 The thornbush said to the trees,‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’ 16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, if you have properly repaid him– 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life and delivered you from Midian’s power. 18 But you have attacked my father’s family today. You murdered his seventy legitimate sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!”
• 2 Sam 12:1-7 : 1 Nathan the Prophet Confronts David So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, Nathan said,“There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. It used to eat his food, drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. It was just like a daughter to him. 4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler who had come to visit him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to visit him.” 5 Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan,“As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!” 7 Nathan said to David,“You are that man! This is what the LORD God of Israel has said:‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
• Ps 49:4 : 4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.
• Ps 78:2 : 2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom; I will make insightful observations about the past.
• Isa 5:1-7 : 1 A Love Song Gone Sour I will sing to my love– a song to my lover about his vineyard. My love had a vineyard on a fertile hill. 2 He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a tower in the middle of it, and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead. 3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, people of Judah, you decide between me and my vineyard! 4 What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead? 5 Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. 6 I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain on it. 7 Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got– disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got– cries for help!
• Ezek 17:2 : 2 “Son of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel.
• Ezek 20:49 : 49 Then I said,“O Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me,‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
• Ezek 24:3-9 : 3 Recite a proverb to this rebellious house and say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Set on the pot, set it on, pour water in it too; 4 add the pieces of meat to it, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones. 5 Take the choice bone of the flock, heap up wood under it; boil rapidly, and boil its bones in it. 6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot whose rot is in it, whose rot has not been removed from it! Empty it piece by piece. No lot has fallen on it. 7 For her blood was in it; she poured it on an exposed rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it up with dust. 8 To arouse anger, to take vengeance, I have placed her blood on an exposed rock so that it cannot be covered up. 9 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I will also make the pile high. 10 Pile up the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, let the bones be charred. 11 Set the empty pot on the coals, until it becomes hot and its copper glows, until its uncleanness melts within it and its rot is consumed. 12 It has tried my patience; yet its thick rot is not removed from it. Subject its rot to the fire! 13 You mix uncleanness with obscene conduct. I tried to cleanse you, but you are not clean. You will not be cleansed from your uncleanness until I have exhausted my anger on you. 14 “‘I the LORD have spoken; judgment is coming and I will act! I will not relent, or show pity, or be sorry! I will judge you according to your conduct and your deeds, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
• Mic 2:4 : 4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you– they will mock you with this lament:‘We are completely destroyed; they sell off the property of my people. How they remove it from me! They assign our fields to the conqueror.’
• Hab 2:6 : 6 The Proud Babylonians Are as Good as Dead“But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings:‘Woe to the one who accumulates what does not belong to him(How long will this go on?)– he who gets rich by extortion!’
• Luke 15:3-7 : 3 So Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 Then when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them,‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.