Matthew 13:7

13:7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, ¹  and they grew up and choked them. ² 

Mark 4:18

4:18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word,

Luke 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ³  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ⁴  as they go on their way they are choked ⁵  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ⁶  and their fruit does not mature. ⁷ 

Luke 18:24

18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ⁸  he said, “How hard ⁹  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ¹⁰ 

Luke 18:2

18:2 He said, ¹¹  “In a certain city ¹²  there was a judge ¹³  who neither feared God nor respected people. ¹⁴ 

Luke 4:10

4:10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹⁵ 

¹ sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.

² sn That is, crowded out the good plants.

³ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁵ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

⁶ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

⁷ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

⁸ tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

⁹ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

¹⁰ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

¹¹ tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

¹² tn Or “town.”

¹³ sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

¹⁴ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

¹⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 91:11 by the devil. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).