It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
Parallel translations
- WEB It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
- KJV It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- NKJV It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
- NASB It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
- NLT It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The kingdom is like yeast a woman hides in flour until all is leavened. God's reign works invisibly but thoroughly to transform.
Overview
A small amount of leaven permeates the whole batch, picturing how the kingdom spreads silently through the world and the human heart. Though hidden and unseen at first, its effect is comprehensive and unstoppable. The parable assures disciples that the gospel's quiet working will achieve God's full purpose.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 13:33He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
- 1 Cor 5:6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
- Jas 1:21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
- John 15:2He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
- Phil 1:9–11And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
- Prov 4:18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Phil 1:6being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
- 1 Th 5:23–24Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- John 4:14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
- Job 17:9Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
- Hos 6:3So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.
- Ps 92:13–14Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 13:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.