Luke 8:11-16

8:11 “Now the parable means ¹  this: The seed is the word of God. 8:12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil ²  comes and takes away the word ³  from their hearts, so that they may not believe ⁴  and be saved. 8:13 Those ⁵  on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, ⁶  but ⁷  in a time of testing ⁸  fall away. ⁹  8:14 As for the seed that ¹⁰  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ¹¹  as they go on their way they are choked ¹²  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ¹³  and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁴  8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ¹⁵  the word, cling to it ¹⁶  with an honest and good ¹⁷  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ¹⁸ 

Showing the Light

8:16 “No one lights ¹⁹  a lamp ²⁰  and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. ²¹ 

[8:11]  ¹ tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.

[8:12]  ² sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for the devil here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Mark 4:15 has “Satan.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

[8:12]  ³ 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.

[8:12]  ⁴ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") has been translated as a finite verb here. It may be regarded as an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance. From a logical standpoint the negative must govern both the participle and the finite verb.

[8:13]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:13]  ⁶ sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.

[8:13]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:13]  ⁸ tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.

[8:13]  ⁹ sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.

[8:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ¹² sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ¹³ 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.

[8:14]  ¹⁴ 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.

[8:15]  ¹⁵ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

[8:15]  ¹⁶ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

[8:15]  ¹⁷ 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.

[8:15]  ¹⁸ 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.

[8:16]  ¹⁹ tn The participle ἅψας ({aya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:16]  ²⁰ sn This is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry; see 1:78-79.

[8:16]  ²¹ tn Or “its light,” if the Greek article is translated as a possessive pronoun (for such usage, cf. ExSyn 215).