Matthew 13:4
And when he sowed,
some [seeds] fell by the way side,
and the fowls came and devoured them up
Study
Other translations
New International Version
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
New Living Translation
As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.
English Standard Version
And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
Berean Study Bible
And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Berean Literal Bible
And in his sowing, indeed some fell along the road, and the birds having come, devoured them.
New King James Version
And as he sowed, some [seed] fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
New American Standard Bible
and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
NASB 1977
NASB 1995
and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
Amplified Bible
and as he sowed, some [seed] fell beside the road [between the fields], and the birds came and ate it.
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And when he sowed
Or, “as he sowed”, as the other evangelists; that is, “whilst he was sowing”,
Some seeds fell
Either out of his hand, or out of the cart drawn by oxen; hence the Talmudists distinguish between , “the falling of the hand”, or what falls out of the hand; and “the falling of the oxen”, or what falls from them; where the gloss is, “in some places they sow the grain with the hand; and in other places they put the seed on a cart full of holes, and oxen draw the cart on the ploughed land, and it falls upon it.”
By the wayside
The way side, i.e., on the skirts of the broad path that crossed the field.
Here the surface was hard and smooth, the grain lay on the surface,
By the common road, or private paths, which led through corn fields, in which also Christ and his disciples walked (Matthew 12:1) and which being beaten and trodden hard, the seed must lie open on it, and so be liable to be trampled upon by men, or devoured by the fowls of the air; and designs such hearers as are careless, negligent, and inattentive, who hear without understanding, judgment, and affection (see Matthew 13:19).
And the fowls came and devoured them
The pigeons and other birds that followed the sower reaped an immediate harvest.
The other evangelists say, “the fowls of the air”; and so the Vulgate Latin, and Munster’s Hebrew Gospel, and some copies; and mean the devils; so called, because their habitation is in the air; hence they are said to be “the power of the air”: and because of their ravenous and devouring nature, their swiftness to do mischief, and their flocking in multitudes, where the word is preached, to hinder its usefulness, as fowls do, where seed is sowing.
Satan, and his principalities, and powers, rove about in the air, come down on earth, and seek whom they may devour, and often mix themselves in religious assemblies, to do what mischief they can (see Job 1:6).
Greek
As ☆ ἐν (en) ☆ Preposition ☆ In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; ‘in, ‘ at, on, by, etc.
He ☆ αὐτὸν (auton) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
Sowing ☆ σπείρειν (speirein) ☆ Verb – Present Infinitive Active ☆ To sow, spread, scatter. Probably strengthened from spao; to scatter, i.e. Sow.
Some ☆ ἃ (ha) ☆ Personal / Relative Pronoun – Nominative Neuter Plural ☆ Who, which, what, that.
Fell ☆ ἔπεσεν (epesen) ☆ Verb – Aorist Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ A reduplicated and contracted form of peto; probably akin to petomai through the idea of alighting; to fall.
Along ☆ παρὰ (para) ☆ Preposition ☆ Gen: from; dat: beside, in the presence of; acc: alongside of.
The ☆ τὴν (tēn) ☆ Article – Accusative Feminine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Path ☆ ὁδόν (hodon) ☆ Noun – Accusative Feminine Singular ☆ A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; figuratively, a mode or means.
And ☆ καὶ (kai) ☆ Conjunction ☆ And, even, also, namely.
The ☆ τὰ (ta) ☆ Article – Nominative Neuter Plural ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Birds ☆ πετεινὰ (peteina) ☆ Noun – Nominative Neuter Plural ☆ A bird, fowl. Neuter of a derivative of petomai; a flying animal, i.e. Bird.
Came ☆ ἐλθόντα (elthonta) ☆ Verb – Aorist Participle Active – Nominative Neuter Plural ☆ To come, go.
Devoured ☆ κατέφαγεν (katephagen) ☆ Verb – Aorist Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ To eat up, eat till it is finished, devour, squander, annoy, injure. From kata and esthio; to eat down, i.e. Devour.
Them ☆ αὐτά (auta) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Plural ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
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