I—Io,
was 6 ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν ” αἰγιαλὸν εἰστήκει. πολλὰ ἐν “παραβολαῖς, λέγων, “Ιδού, ἐξῆλθεν 6 σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν.
a
τὰ πετεινά, καὶ “xatépayey αὖτά.
Σπετρώδη, ὅπου οὐκ εἶχε γῆν πολλήν’ καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλε, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος” γῆς: 6. ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος * ἐκαυματίσθη, καὶ
διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν pilav, 5 ἐξηράνθη.
195
3. καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὗτοῖς > ver 48.
Heb. ix. 9; Xi. το. d Lk. xv. 30.
7. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς Jobnii. 17.
6 ver. 20.
ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν at ἄκανθαι, καὶ ἀπέπνιζαν ὃ aitd. 8. ἄλλα Mk. iv. s, 1
δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, f Mk. iv. 6.
ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.
10. Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον αὐτω, “ Διατί ἐν παραβολαῖς ον 2ο. ο
Rev. xvi.
ϱ. 6 ἔχων Sta dxovew* ἀκουέτω. 8, 9.
g Ch. xxi.
nxv.6. Jas. i. 11.
1B has ελθοντα τα πετεινα κατεφαγεν, which W.H. putin the text, placing ηλθον
+. π. και in the margin. 3 B has της before γης.
3 ND have επνιξαν (Tisch.). with επνιξαν in margin).
BCZX al. and many min. have απεπνιξαν (W.H.
4S9BL omit ακονειν, which comes from parall.
importance of the lessons conveyed. Abstract a priori definitions of the word serve little purpose; we learn best what a parable is, in the mouth of Jesus, by studying the parables He spoke. Thence we gather that to speak in parables means to use the familiar in nature or in human life (in the form of a narrative or otherwise) to embody unfamiliar truths of the spiritual world.
Vv. 3-9. The Parable.—Ver. 3. 6 σπείρων: either 6 generic, or the Sower of my story.—rod σπείρειν: the infinitive of purpose with the genitive of article, very frequent in N. T. and in late Greek. —Ver. 4. παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν: not the highway, of which there were few, but the footpath, of which there were many through or between the fields.—Ver. 5. ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη, upon shallow ground, where the rock was near the surface (οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν).--Ψετ. 6. éxavpa- τίσθη, it was scorched (by the sun) (cf. Rev. xvi. 8), which had made it spring earliest: promptly quickened, soon killed.—Ver. 7. ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας. Fritzsche prefers the reading ἐις because the seed fell not on thorns already sprung up, but on ground full of thorn seeds or roots. But the latter idea, which is the true one, can be expressed also by ἐπὶ.- ἀνέβησαν: the thorns sprang up as well as the corn, and grow- ing more vigorously gained the upper hand.—énvitav. Euthy. Zig. finds this idea in ἀνέβησαν, for which he gives as
synonym ὑπερίσχυσαν.- Ψετ. 8. καλὴν, genuinely good land free from all the faults of the other three: soft, deep, clean.—é8(Sev, yielded. In other texts (iii, 8, 10; vii. 17) ποιεῖν is used.— ἑκατόν, ἑξήκοντα, τριάκοντα: all satis- factory; 30 good, 60 better, 100 best (Gen. xxvi. 12).—Ver. 9. 6 ἔχων Ora ax. ἀκ. An invitation to think of the hidden meaning, or rather a hint that there was sucha meaning. The description of the land in which the sower carried on his operations would present no difficulties to the hearers: the beaten paths, the rocky spots, the thorny patches were all familiar features of the fields in Palestine, and the fate of the seed in each case was in accordance with common experience. But why paint the picture? What is the moral of the story? That Jesus left them to find out.
Vv. 10-17. The disciples ask an ex- planation. There is some difficulty in forming a clear idea of this interlude. Who asked? The Twelve only, or they and others with them, as Mark states (iv. ro)? And when? Immediately after the parable was spoken, or, as was more likely, after the teaching of the day was over? The one certain point is that an explanation was asked and given.— Ver.10, διατί ἐν παραβολαῖς: Matthew makes the question refer to the method of teaching, Mark and Luke to the meaning of the parables spoken. The two questions were closely connected,