A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Parallel translations
- WEB “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.
- BSB “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.
- NKJV “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.
- NASB “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up.
- NLT “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.
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
A sower scatters seed, some of which falls on the path and is trampled and eaten by birds. This pictures the word reaching hearts that never receive it.
Overview
Jesus opens the parable with seed falling on hard, exposed ground where it is lost at once. The image draws on familiar farming in Galilee. As He will explain, this represents those who hear the word but lose it immediately to the devil, never letting it take root.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Heb 2:1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
- Jas 1:23–24For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
- Mark 4:15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
- Luke 8:11–12Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
- Gen 15:11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
- Mark 4:26–29And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
- Ps 119:118Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood.
- Matt 5:13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
- Matt 13:3–4And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
- Matt 13:37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
- Matt 13:24–26Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
- Mark 4:2–4And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
- Matt 13:18–19Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
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 8:5 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.