Matthew 7:26-27

7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” ¹ 

Luke 8:13

8:13 Those ²  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, ³  but ⁴  in a time of testing ⁵  fall away. ⁶ 

Ephesians 3:17

3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 1:23

1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, ⁷  without shifting ⁸  from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Colossians 2:7

2:7 rooted ⁹  and built up in him and firm ¹⁰  in your ¹¹  faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

[7:27]  ¹ tn Grk “and great was its fall.”

[8:13]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:13]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:13]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[1:23]  ⁷ tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”

[1:23]  ⁸ tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.

[2:7]  ⁹ tn Or “having been rooted.”

[2:7]  ¹⁰ sn The three participles rooted, built up, and firm belong together and reflect three different metaphors. The first participle “rooted” (perfect tense) indicates a settled condition on the part of the Colossian believers and refers to horticulture. The second participle “built up” (present passive) comes from the world of architecture. The third participle “firm [established]” (present passive) comes from the law courts. With these three metaphors (as well as the following comment on thankfulness) Paul explains what he means when he commands them to continue to live their lives in Christ. The use of the passive probably reflects God’s activity among them. It was he who had rooted them, had been building them up, and had established them in the faith (cf. 1 Cor 3:5-15 for the use of mixed metaphors).

[2:7]  ¹¹ tn The Greek text has the article τῇ (th), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here (ExSyn 215).