Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

MATTHEW 13:18KJV
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Matthew 13:18 (KJV)

What does Matthew 13:18 mean?

Matthew 13:18 is where Jesus invites his listeners to pay attention as he begins to explain the meaning of the parable of the sower. He is preparing his audience to understand the spiritual lesson behind the story he just told.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to his disciples after telling the crowd the parable earlier in the chapter. The disciples had asked Jesus why he spoke in parables, and now he is about to reveal the deeper meaning of the story. This moment marks the shift from telling the parable to interpreting it, showing that Jesus wants his followers to grasp not just the story but its significance.

The Greek behind Matthew 13:18

  • ἀκούσατε (akousate, "Hear"): This Greek word means more than just listening; it often carries the sense of paying careful attention or understanding. Jesus is calling for thoughtful listening, not just hearing words.
  • παραβολή (parabolē, "parable"): This word refers to a story or illustration that lays one thing alongside another for comparison. Here, it signals that what follows is not just a story but a lesson with a deeper meaning.
  • τοῦ σπείραντος (tou speirantos, "of the sower"): The Greek word for "sower" points to the person scattering seed, which in the context of the parable represents someone spreading a message or teaching.

Why Matthew 13:18 matters

  • Matthew 13:18 makes it clear that Jesus wants his listeners to move beyond surface-level hearing and seek real understanding of his teachings.
  • This verse marks the transition from parable to explanation, highlighting that Jesus does not leave his followers in confusion but offers insight when they seek it.
  • By focusing attention on the "parable of the sower," Matthew 13:18 sets up the importance of the message about how people receive and respond to spiritual truth.

Where else these words appear

“sower” Greek G4687 · used in 42 verses

  • Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
  • Matthew 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
  • Luke 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

“parable” Greek G3850 · used in 48 verses

  • Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
  • Mark 3:23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
  • Luke 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?