Parables, of the sower
Matthew 13:3 Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Matthew 13:3 A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Look! He went out, the one seeding for the seeding.
Given all the symbols used in the last chapter, it seems appropriate that this chapter begins with a parable in which the use of symbols is more obvious. However, here again, there is subtle wordplay going on.
We have to go out to spread productive ideas.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "a" should be something more like "the one."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sower" is not a noun but a participle, "sowiing."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "his seed" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "look" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "a" should be something more like "the one."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sower" is not a noun but a participle, "sowiing."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "his seed" doesn't exist in the source.
Behold, - "Behold" is from an adverb meaning "Lo! Behold!" and "See there!" However, it is used somewhat humorously at a reveal like the French use "voila."
a - (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. This is the opposite from the indefinite article, "a," which does not exist in Greek but which can be added in translated when there is no definitive article.
sower - (WF) The word translated as "sower" is a verb in the form of a noun. The verb means "to seed" or "to sow a seed." It is a verbal form of the Greek word for "seed." The form is an verbal adjective, "sowing," preceded by an article which changes it into a verb, "the one sowing."
went ; - The word translated as "went forth" means literally "to go or come out," but it has a secondary meaning of "making something come true."
forth -- This is from the prefix that means "out of " from the previous verb.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." Here, it comes before an infinitive, which changes the verb into a noun describing the verb. See this article for more.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, with the preceding article, this infitive acts more like the English gerund, "sowing."
sow - The verb translated as "to sow" is an infinitive, but it is introduced by an article, makes it a noun describing the action of the verb. "sowing." The verb means "seeding" from the same root as "seed."
missing "Look" -- (MW) The untranslated word is from an adverb meaning "Lo! Behold!" and "See there!" However, it is used somewhat humorously at a reveal like the French use "voila."
A - (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. This is the opposite from the indefinite article, "a," which does not exist in Greek but which can be added in translated when there is no definitive article.
farmer - (WW, WF) The word translated as "sower" is a verb in the form of a noun. The verb means "to seed" or "to sow a seed." It is a verbal form of the Greek word for "seed." The form is an verbal adjective, "sowing," preceded by an article which changes it into a verb, "the one sowing."
went - The word translated as "went forth" means literally "to go or come out," but it has a secondary meaning of "making something come true."
out -- This is from the prefix that means "out of " from the previous verb.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." Here, it comes before an infinitive, which changes the verb into a noun describing the verb. See this article for more.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, with the preceding article, this infitive acts more like the English gerund, "sowing."
sow - The verb translated as "to sow" is an infinitive, but it is introduced by an article, makes it a noun describing the action of the verb. "sowing." The verb means "scattering seeds."
his seed. -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "his seed" in the Greek source but the previous word does have the same root as seed.
Ἰδοὺ (verb 2nd sg aor imperat mid) "Behold is from idou, which means "to behold," "to see," and "to perceive." It acts as an adverbial phrase in this form meaning "Lo! Behold!" and "See there!' It is a form of the verb eido, which means "to see." --
ἐξῆλθεν (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Went forth" is from exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of " "to march forth," "go out on," "to stand forth," "to exceed all bounds," "to come to an end," "to go out of office," and [of dreams or prophecies] "to come true."
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
σπείρων (part sg pres act masc nom) "A sower" is from speiro, which means "to sow a seed," "to beget offspring," "to scatter like a seed," and "to sow a field."
τοῦ (article sg neut/masc gen ) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun but here proceeds an infinitive verb.
σπείρειν. (verb pres inf act) "To sow" is from speiro, which means "to seed [a field]," "to sow a seed," "to beget offspring," "to scatter like a seed," and "to sow a field." It is a form of the word "seed."
The verse repeats the same word, first as a noun, then as a verb. It is based on the word "seed" which is Christ symbol for the beginning or kernel of knowledge.
The next morning the Master sat on the beach and a crowd gathered around him. The crowd included of the same people from the day before, including the Distinguished, who stood off to one side. As people crowd around him, the Master climbed up into one of his student's fishing boats that was beached on the sand.
“Look!” he said, point off into to a harvested field in the distance. “He went out, the one seeding for the seeding.”
The Master’s eyes seemed focused in the distance, but his hand seemed to copy what he was watching, lifting up and casting seeds toward the shore.