Luke 8:11

8:11 “Now the parable means ¹  this: The seed is the word of God.

Luke 8:15

8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ²  the word, cling to it ³  with an honest and good ⁴  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ⁵ 

¹ tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.

² tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

³ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

⁴ sn In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.

⁵ sn Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time (steadfast endurance), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4.