Parables, the sower
Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
Matthew 13:4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
And, during that seeding of his, these, indeed, fell down along the path and showing up, the winged ones, gobbled them down.
The harder we get the more we are prey for some demons.
The verse has an interesting play on words. The terms for "sowed," "way side," and "bird" all have double meanings here. "Seed" means "kernel of knowledge," which is the obvious sense. The verse implies "seeds" but never says them. "Way" means "way of life" or "philosophy." "Bird," means a "winged one."
There is also an untranslated word here that is the Greek equivalent of the Aramaic "amen."
The subject here are all neuter plurals, which can take singular verbs when handles as a group.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "when" should be something more like "during."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "he" is not the subject of an active verb but a participle, "his."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "seeding" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sowed" is not an active verb but an infinitive used as a noun "the seeding."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "certainly" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "came" is not an active verb but a participle, "coming."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The second "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "and" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "as" should be something more like "during."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "he" is not the subject of an active verb but a participle, "his."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "seeding" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "was" is not needed with an infinitive used as a noun "the seeding."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "certainly" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "birds" is not the common word usually translated as "birds."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "came" is not an active verb but a participle, "coming."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The second "and" doesn't exist in the source.
And - The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."
when - (WW) The word translated as "when" actually means in," "during," "on," "within," "with," or "among."
he - (WF) The word translated as "he" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The form is an object, but the infinitive form of a verb (see following word) takes an accusative subject. In English, we would say "his sowing" or "that sowing of his."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
sowed, - (WF) The Greek verb translated as "sowed" means specifically to "sow seeds" and "to scatter" as in sowing seeds. However, the form is not an active verb. It is an infinitive, preceded by an article. In Greek, this making the verb into a noun describing its action,like an article with the gerund in English, "the sowing" or "the seeding." The phrase is "during the sowing," which is translated as "during that seeding of his." However, this form is important here because all the following verbs refer to this verbal noun, not the "seeds," a word that doesn't appear.
some - The word translated as "some" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause. Here, it is plural, which doesn't match any previous nouns. This is different than the Mark 4:4 version, which uses the singular, referring to the "sowing." The form here is neuter plural, but the plural, again, doesn't refer to any noun. The neuter form is the same as the Greek word for "seeds" though the actual Greek word is not used.
seeds - There is no Greek word for "seeds" in the original text. However, the verb implies sowing seeds, which has the same root as the Greek word "seed."
missing "certainly" -- (MW) The untranslated word appears in the text that is generally used to express certainty and means "indeed," "certainly," "surely," and "truly."
fell -- "Fell" is translated from a Greek word that means "to fall" and "to fall down." It is the root word for dozens of Greek terms involving moving from a higher state to a lower one. Like our word "to fall" it has a number of special meanings including "to fall into a given class," "to prostrate," "to fall from power," "to perish," and so on. This verb is singular, "it fell," but plural neuter subjects ("some") can take a singular verb. The tense indicates it happening at a specific time in the past, present, or future. This is the common tense for a story.
by - With the accusative, as it uses here, its has a number of specialized meanings and here "along" seems to work best because most of the other meanings imply near or beside, which wouldn't mean "on."
the - This is the standard Greek definitive article.
way side, - "Way side" is from a word meaning "way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life." In Acts, followers of Jesus are described as those "belonging to the way." This is where the double meaning of the previous preposition comes in. The phrase means "along the path" but it has a philosophical sense of "on the way to the proper way of thinking."
and - The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
the - This is the standard Greek definitive article. Since the following word is an adjective, the sense is "the winged ones."
fowls - This adjective means "winged." The sense with the previous article is "the winged ones." Jesus always uses this word for bird, but it is conscious choice here not to use the Greek word for bird or its diminutive, both of which are common. All the English scientific words referring to birds coming from common Greek forms not this unusual one.
came - (WF) The word translated as "came" primarily means "to start out" but Jesus usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. This verb is not an active verb, but an adjective, "showing up." It is in the plural, matching "birds," but it would be singular if it was actually an active verb. Here, it is an adjective.
and - (IW) There is no Greek word for "and" in the original text. It is added because the previous verb form is wrong.
devoured -- "Devoured" is from a verb that means "to eat up" and "to devour." This verb doesn't match the plural form of the noun, "birds. It is a term applied to animals of prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed." This verb to is singular but the "winged ones" is neuter, plural so it the typical.
them - The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English, but it has a few shades of meaning our pronouns do not have. It is plural and its neuter form is the same as the Greek word for "seeds" though the actual Greek word is not used.
up - -- This is from the prefix that means "down" of the previous verb. We say "eat up," but the Greek says "eat down."
missing "and" -- (MW) The untranslated word is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."
As - (WW) The word translated as "as" actually means in," "on," "within," "during," "with," or "among."
he - (WF) The word translated as "he" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The form is an object, but the infinitive form of a verb (see following word) takes an accusative subject. In English, we would say "his sowing" or "that sowing of his."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
was -- (WF) This helping verb indicates the tense of the verb., but this makes the form active.
scattering , The Greek verb translated as "sowed" means specifically to "sow seeds" and "to scatter" as in sowing seeds. However, the form is not an active verb. It is an infinitive, preceded by an article. In Greek, this making the verb into a noun describing its action,like an article with the gerund in English, "the sowing" or "the seeding." The phrase is "during the sowing," which is translated as "during that seeding of his." However, this form is important here because all the following verbs refer to this verbal noun, not the "seeds," a word that doesn't appear.
the seed -- This phrase does not exist in the Greek, but it is implied by the verb, which has the same root as the Greek word "seed."
some - The word translated as "some" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause. Here, it is plural, which doesn't match any previous nouns. This is different than the Mark 4:4 version, which uses the singular, referring to the "sowing." The form here is neuter plural, but the plural, again, doesn't refer to any noun. The neuter form is the same as the Greek word for "seeds" though the actual Greek word is not used.
missing "certainly" -- (MW) The untranslated word appears in the text that is generally used to express certainty and means "indeed," "certainly," "surely," and "truly."
fell -- "Fell" is translated from a Greek word that means "to fall" and "to fall down." It is the root word for dozens of Greek terms involving moving from a higher state to a lower one. Like our word "to fall" it has a number of special meanings including "to fall into a given class," "to prostrate," "to fall from power," "to perish," and so on. This verb is singular, "it fell," but plural neuter subjects ("some") can take a singular verb. The tense indicates it happening at a specific time in the past, present, or future. This is the common tense for a story.
along - With the accusative, as it uses here, its has a number of specialized meanings and here "along" seems to work best because most of the other meanings imply near or beside, which wouldn't mean "on."
the - This is the standard Greek definitive article.
path, - "Path" is from a word meaning "way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life." In Acts, followers of Jesus are described as those "belonging to the way." This is where the double meaning of the previous preposition comes in. The phrase means "along the path" but it has a philosophical sense of "on the way to the proper way of thinking."
and - The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
the - This is the standard Greek definitive article. Since the following word is an adjective, the sense is "the winged ones."
birds - (CW) This adjective means "winged." The sense with the previous article is "the winged ones." Jesus always uses this word for bird, but it is conscious choice here not to use the Greek word for bird or its diminutive, both of which are common. All the English scientific words referring to birds coming from common Greek forms not this unusual one.
came - (WF) The word translated as "came" primarily means "to start out" but Jesus usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. This verb is not an active verb, but an adjective, "showing up." It is in the plural, matching "birds," but it would be singular if it was actually an active verb. Here, it is an adjective.
and - (IW) There is no Greek word for "and" in the original text. It is added because the previous verb form is wrong.
ate -- "Ate" is from a verb that means "to eat up" and "to devour." This verb doesn't match the plural form of the noun, "birds. It is a term applied to animals of prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed." This verb to is singular but the "winged ones" is neuter, plural so it the typical.
them - The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English, but it has a few shades of meaning our pronouns do not have. It is plural and its neuter form is the same as the Greek word for "seeds" though the actual Greek word is not used.
up - -- This is from the prefix that means "down" of the previous verb. We say "eat up," but the Greek says "eat down."
καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
ἐν (prep) "When" is en, which means "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during," and "with." The sense seems to be one of time, so "during."
τῷ (article sg neut dat) "He" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
σπείρειν (verb pres inf act) "Sowed" is speiro, which means "to sow a seed," "to beget offspring," "to scatter like a seed," and "to sow a field."
αὐτὸν (adj sg masc acc) "He" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
ἃ (pron pl neut nom/acc) "Some" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
μὲν (partic) Untranslated is men, which is generally used to express certainty and means "indeed," "certainly," "surely," and "truly."
ἔπεσεν (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Fell" is from the verb pipto, which means "to fall," "to fall down," "to be cast down," "fall upon," "intersect (geometry)," "meet," "pass through," "fall violently upon," "attack," "fall in battle," "sink{in water)," "fall short i.e. fail," " fall out of," "lose a thing," "escape from," "fall asleep," "to be accessible to perception," "to fall (between her feet, i.e. to be born)," "to let fall[dice)," "turn out," and "fall under (belong to a class)." The verb is singular, so tthe "some" pronoun cannot be its subject.
παρὰ (prep) "With" is para, has many meanings, which depend on the case of its object and the sense of the verb.With the genitive, the sense is always motion, "from the side of," "from beside," "issuing from," and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is always static, "by the side of," "near," "in the presence of," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more including "along," "past," "beyond," "parallel (geometry)," "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)." -
τὴν (article sg masc acc) "He" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ὁδόν, (noun sg masc acc)"The way side" is from hodos, which means literally "the way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life."
καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
ἐλθόντα (part pl aor act neut nom) "Came" is from erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out," "to come," "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.
τὰ (article pl neut nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
πετεινὰ (adj pl neut nom) "Fowls" is from peteinon, which as an adjective means "able to fly," "full-fledged," and "winged," and, as a noun, "winged fowl," and "a bird."
κατέφαγεν [7 verses](3rd sg aor ind act) "Devoured" is from katesthiô, which means "to eat up" and "to devour." It is a term applied to animals of prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed."
αὐτα. (adj pl neut acc) "Them" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
It is based on the word "seed" which is Christ symbol for the beginning or kernel of knowledge.
The word "way" also means "philosophy" and in a "way of thought" or a "way of life."
"Winged one" is used instead of the Greek word for "bird." Christ always uses "winged one" instead of "bird."
“And, in this seeding of his,” the Master said, switching his gaze from the distance to the audience, “these...”
He pretended to toss out a handful of seeds to illustrate what he meant.
“Indeed,” he said as if surprised, “they fell down along the path...”
He looked down as if seeing the seed lying along a path before him and pointed to it. Sea birds squawked in the distance.
“And showing up, the winged ones,” he continued, gesturing toward the birds and fluttering his hand down like to where he gazed at the seeds. “Gobbled them down.”
He reached out with both hands and pretended to gobble down the seeds;
The crowd laughed.