Bible Strands
Luke 8:11
Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples immediately after telling the parable of the sower, providing the explicit interpretation of the agricultural imagery. This occurs during His ministry as He clarifies why He speaks in parables to the crowds while revealing kingdom mysteries to His followers.
The words — The Greek phrase αὕτη ἡ παραβολή (hautē hē parabolē) literally renders "this is the parable," while σπέρμα (sperma) means "seed." Jesus directly equates the sown seed with the word of God, establishing the parable's central symbol.
The thread — This identification of the seed as God’s word appears in Mark 4:14 and Matthew 13:19, where the sowing action and the devil’s snatching of the word are explicitly linked to hearing the message. Peter later connects this same imperishable seed to the believer’s new birth in 1 Peter 1:23.
Why it lands — The text states that the seed is the word of God, requiring listeners to recognize the message as the divine object of attention. It asks readers to evaluate their own response to hearing the word, since the parable’s outcome depends on how the word is received and retained.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
- Mark 4:14 The farmer sows the word.
- James 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
- Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
- 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
- 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.