Luke 8:4 - Forerunner Commentary

Luke 8:4

2 and ^acertain women who had been healed of evil spirits and¹ infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, ^bout of whom had come seven demons,

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for¹ Him from their substance.

The Parable of the Sower

4 ^aAnd when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded¹ a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, ^a“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables

9 ^aThen His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the¹ mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
^a‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11 ^a“Now the parable is this: The seed is the ^bword of God.

12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of¹ temptation fall away.

14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, ^ariches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with ^apatience.

The Parable of the Revealed Light

16 ^a“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the ^blight.

17 ^aFor nothing is secret that will not be ^brevealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

Verse Comparison: Luke 8:4

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American Standard Version
And when a great multitude came together, and they of every city resorted unto him, he spake by a parable:

Amplified® Bible
And when a very great throng was gathering together and people from town after town kept coming to Jesus, He said in a parable:

Contemporary English Version
When a large crowd from several towns had gathered around Jesus, he told them this story:

Darby English Version
And a great crowd coming together, and those who were coming to him out of each city, he spoke by parable:

Good News Bible
People kept coming to Jesus from one town after another; and when a great crowd gathered, Jesus told this parable:

International Standard Version
Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to him from every city, he said in a parable:

King James Version
And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

New American Standard Bible
When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

New International Version
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:

New King James Version
And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
When a large crowd came together, and those from the various cities journeyed to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

Young's Literal Translation
And a great multitude having gathered, and those who from city and city were coming unto him, he spake by a simile:

New English Translation
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus¹ from one town after another,² he spoke to them³ in a parable:

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