And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
Parallel translations
- WEB Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.
- KJV Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
- BSB The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
- NKJV Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
- NLT The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
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 seed on the path is those who hear, but the devil snatches the word away so they cannot believe and be saved. Spiritual opposition aims to keep hearers from faith.
Overview
Jesus identifies the hardened path as hearers from whom Satan removes the word before it can take hold. The verse reveals an active enemy at work in the preaching of the Gospel. It also affirms that the word is meant to lead to belief and salvation, the very thing the devil seeks to prevent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Th 2:9–14even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
- Rev 12:9The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Matt 13:19When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.
- Mark 4:15The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
- Prov 1:24–26Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
- Prov 4:5Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don’t forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.
- Jas 1:23–24For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;
- Luke 8:5“The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.
- Isa 65:11“But you who forsake Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny;
- Prov 1:29because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:12 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.