Luke 8:8

8:8 But ¹  other seed fell on good soil and grew, ²  and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” ³  As he said this, ⁴  he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” ⁵ 

Luke 8:15

8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ⁶  the word, cling to it ⁷  with an honest and good ⁸  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ⁹ 

Luke 8:18

8:18 So listen carefully, ¹⁰  for whoever has will be given more, but ¹¹  whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has ¹²  will be taken from him.”

[8:8]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.

[8:8]  ² tn Grk “when it grew, after it grew.”

[8:8]  ³ sn Unlike the parallel accounts in Matt 13:8 and Mark 4:8, there is no distinction in yield in this version of the parable.

[8:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “said these things.”

[8:8]  ⁵ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35).

[8:15]  ⁶ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

[8:15]  ⁷ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

[8:15]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.

[8:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Therefore pay close attention”; Grk “Take heed therefore how you hear.”

[8:18]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:18]  ¹² sn The phrase what he thinks he has is important, because it is not what a person thinks he has that is important but whether he actually has something or not. Jesus describes the person who does not heed his word as having nothing. The person who has nothing loses even that which he thought was something but was not. In other words, he has absolutely nothing at all. Jesus’ teaching must be taken seriously.