Luke 8:5

“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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to a large crowd gathering from town to town, introducing a parable about a farmer distributing seed.

The words — ἐξῆλθεν (exēlthen) literally means "went out," and σπεὶρων (speirōn) denotes the continuous action of "sowing."

The thread — The path imagery reappears in Mark 4:15, where the sown word is immediately seized, while James 1:23 and Hebrews 2:1 warn against hearing a message without retaining or applying it.

Why it lands — The text describes seed falling on a hard surface where it is trampled and eaten, then requires the listener to secure the message in attentive reception so it is not lost before it can take root.

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

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.

Cross-references

Hebrews 2:1 We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
James 1:23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
Mark 4:15 Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Luke 8:11 Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
Genesis 15:11 And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
Mark 4:26 Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
Psalms 119:118 You reject all who stray from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness is in vain.
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Matthew 13:3 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Matthew 13:18 Consider, then, the parable of the sower: