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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil

Parables, Parable of the Weeds, Explanation

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 13:39 ὁ δὲ ἐχθρὸς ὁ σπείρας αὐτά ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος: ὁ δὲ θερισμὸς συντέλεια αἰῶνός ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ θερισταὶ ἄγγελοί εἰσιν.

KJV Verse

Matthew 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

What His Listeners Heard:

The hateful, then, the one sowing them, is the slanderer. The harvest then is a culmination of an age. The harvesters then are messengers.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus only uses the Greek word translated here as "devil" four times, but it means "slanderer" or, more simply, "liar." He only uses the word translated as "enemy" twelve times, but that word means "hating," so Jesus is connecting "lying" with "hating" in this verse.

There are a series of untranslated words here that mean "then." These are a conjuction usually translated as "but" or "however" but, which, in a series, have the sense of "then."

The phrase translated as "end of the word" doesn't include the common words usually translated as "end" or "world. It also doesn't include any definite articles, so no "the" end and no "the world. The literal meaning of the phrase is "a consummation of an age" or "a completion of a life."  It is a perfect example of the problems with "End of the World" concept in the Gospels discussed in this article 

The word translated as "angel" actually means "messenger." So those who slander others with lies are being counter by those who bring messages.

 

KJV w/Translation Issues :

The (MW) enemy(CW) that sowed(WF) them is the devil(CW); the (MW) harvest is the(IW) end of the(IW) world(WW); and(WW) the reapers are the angels(UW).

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.