Luke 8:5

8:5 “A sower went out to sow ¹  his seed. ²  And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds ³  devoured it.

Proverbs 1:24-26

1:24 However, ⁴  because ⁵  I called but you refused to listen, ⁶ 

because ⁷  I stretched out my hand ⁸  but no one paid attention,

1:25 because ⁹  you neglected ¹⁰  all my advice,

and did not comply ¹¹  with my rebuke,

1:26 so ¹²  I myself will laugh ¹³  when disaster strikes you, ¹⁴ 

I will mock when what you dread ¹⁵  comes,

Proverbs 1:29

1:29 Because ¹⁶  they hated moral knowledge, ¹⁷ 

and did not choose to fear the Lord, ¹⁸ 

Matthew 13:19

13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one ¹⁹  comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; ²⁰  this is the seed sown along the path.

Mark 4:15

4:15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan ²¹  comes and snatches the word ²²  that was sown in them.

James 1:23-24

1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone ²³  who gazes at his own face ²⁴  in a mirror. 1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets ²⁵  what sort of person he was.

¹ 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.

² 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.

³ 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).

⁴ tn The term “however” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the contrast between the offer in 1:23 and the accusation in 1:24-25. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

⁵ tn The particle יַעַן (ya’an, “because”) introduces a causal clause which forms part of an extended protasis; the apodosis is 1:26.

⁶ tn The phrase “to listen” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

⁷ tn The term “because” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

⁸ sn This expression is a metonymy of adjunct; it is a gesture that goes with the appeal for some to approach.

⁹ tn Heb “and.”

¹⁰ tn The verb III פָּרַע means “to let go; to let alone” (BDB 828 s.v.). It can refer to unkempt hair of the head (Lev 10:6) or lack of moral restraint: “to let things run free” (Exod 32:25; Prov 28:19). Here it means “to avoid, neglect” the offer of wisdom (BDB 829 s.v. 2).

¹¹ tn The verbs are characteristic perfects or indefinite pasts. For the word “comply, consent,” see 1:20.

¹² tn The conclusion or apodosis is now introduced.

¹³ sn Laughing at the consequences of the fool’s rejection of wisdom does convey hardness against the fool; it reveals the folly of rejecting wisdom (e.g., Ps 2:4). It vindicates wisdom and the appropriateness of the disaster (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 60).

¹⁴ tn Heb “at your disaster.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix is either (1) a genitive of worth: “the disaster due you” or (2) an objective genitive: “disaster strikes you.” The term “disaster” (אֵיד, ’ed) often refers to final life-ending calamity (Prov 6:15; 24:22; BDB 15 s.v. 3). The preposition ב (bet) focuses upon time here.

¹⁵ tn Heb “your dread” (so NASB); KJV “your fear”; NRSV “panic.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix is a subjective genitive: “that which you dread.”

¹⁶ tn The causal particle תַּחַת כִּי (takhat ki, “for the reason that”) introduces a second accusation of sin and reason for punishment.

¹⁷ tn Heb “knowledge.” The noun דָעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) refers to moral knowledge. See note on 1:7.

¹⁸ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear. See note on 1:7.

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.

²⁰ 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.

²¹ sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” 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.

²² 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.

²³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

²⁴ tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”

²⁵ tn Grk “and he has gone out and immediately has forgotten.”