About Matthew

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and King of Israel, demonstrating through His teachings and miracles that He fulfills Old Testament prophecies.

Author: Matthew (Levi)Written: c. AD 50-70Reading time: ~7 minVerses: 58
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King James Version

Matthew 13

58 verses with commentary

The Parable of the Sower

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

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KJV Study Commentary

The phrase 'The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side' sets the scene for Jesus' extended parable teaching. His movement from house to seaside and eventually to a boat (v. 2) shows adaptation to growing crowds. The timing 'same day' connects these parables to His controversy with Pharisees (chapter 12), explaining why He now teaches in parables—revealing truth to disciples ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XIII. (1, 2) **The same day . . . out of the house.**—In St. Mark the parable of the Sower follows the appearance of the mother and the brethren, as in St. Matthew, but in St. Luke (Luke 8:4-15; Luke 8:19-21) the order is inverted. In this case the order of the first Gospel seems preferable, as giving a more intelligible sequence of events. The malignant accusation of the Pharisees, the plots agai...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment--**They might say, "It was nothing: we meant no evil; we merely threw out a supposition, as one way of accounting for the miracle we witnessed; if it will not stand, let it go; why make so much of it, and bear down with such severity for it?" Jesus replies, "It was not nothin...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

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KJV Study Commentary

The crowd necessitates boat: 'great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore' (και συνηχθησαν προς αυτον οχλοι πολλοι ωστε αυτον εις πλοιον εμβαντα καθησθαι και πας ο οχλος επι τον αιγιαλον ειστηκει). 'Great multitudes' (οχλοι πολλοι) indicates massive crowds drawn by Jesus' teaching and miracles. Getting 'into a s...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse introduces the Parable of the Sower, marking a shift in Jesus' teaching method. The Greek word 'parables' (παραβολαῖς/parabolais) means 'to place alongside'—earthly stories conveying spiritual truths. Jesus explains He taught in parables to reveal truth to receptive hearts while concealing it from the hardened (Matthew 13:10-17). The sower scattering seed represents the proclamation of ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **He spake many things unto them in parables.**—This is the first occurrence of the word in St. Matthew’s Gospel, and it is clear from the question of the disciples in Matthew 13:10 that it was in some sense a new form of teaching to them. There had been illustrations and similitudes before, as in that of the houses built on the sand and on the rock in Matthew 7:24-27, and that of the unclean ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**38. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master--**"Teacher," equivalent to "Rabbi." **we would see a sign from thee--**"a sign from heaven" (Lu 11:16); something of an immediate and decisive nature, to show, not that His miracles were real--that they seemed willing to concede--but that they were from above, not from beneath. These were not the same class with tho...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

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KJV Study Commentary

'And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up.' Jesus begins the Parable of the Sower, describing first response-type to gospel: the path hearers. The 'way side' (τὴν ὁδόν/tēn hodon) refers to hardened footpath through or beside the field—compacted soil where seed cannot penetrate. Birds immediately 'devoured' (κατέφαγεν/katephagen) the seed. Jesus ex...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **The way side**—*i.e.,* on the skirts of the broad path that crossed the field. Here the surface was hard and smooth, the grain lay on the surface, the pigeons and other birds that followed the sower reaped an immediate harvest.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**39. But he answered and said unto them--**"when the people were gathered thick together" (Lu 11:29). **an evil and adulterous generation--**This latter expression is best explained by Jr 3:20, "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord." For this was the relationship in which He stood to the covenant-peo...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

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KJV Study Commentary

'Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.' Jesus describes second response-type: shallow soil. 'Stony places' (τὰ πετρώδη/ta petrōdē) refers to thin soil layer over bedrock—not soil mixed with stones, but shallow earth concealing rock beneath. Seeds germinate quickly ('forthwith sprung up') because shallow soil...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Stony places.**—Either ground in which stones and pebbles were mingled with the soil, or, more probably, where a thin stratum of earth covered the solid rock. Here, of course, growth was rapid through the very circumstance which was afterwards fatal.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**40. For as Jonas was--**"a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation" (Lu 11:30). For as Jonas was **three days and three nights in the whale's belly--**(Jon 1:17). **so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth--**This was the second public announcement of His resurrection three days after His death. (For the first, see J...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

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KJV Study Commentary

'And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.' The shallow-soil plants' fate: withered by sun that should nourish them. Without deep roots accessing water, they cannot survive heat. The irony: sun necessary for growth becomes instrument of destruction for rootless plants. Jesus explains (v.21): sun represents tribulation, persecution, offense from ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Because they had no root.**—Or, as in Luke 8:6, “because they lacked moisture.” The growth had been over-rapid, and the presence of the underlying rock at once made the heat more intense, and deprived the plant of the conditions of resistance.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, &c.--**The Ninevites, though heathens, repented at a man's preaching; while they, God's covenant-people, repented not at the preaching of the Son of God--whose supreme dignity is rather implied here than expressed.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

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KJV Study Commentary

'And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them.' Jesus describes third response-type: thorny ground. Seeds germinate, plants grow, but 'thorns sprung up' (ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι/anebēsan hai akanthai) alongside and eventually 'choked them' (ἔπνιξαν/epnixan). Jesus explains (v.22): thorns represent 'care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches'—worldly concerns, material...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Among thorns.**—Literally, *the thorns,* so familiar to the husbandman. These were not visible at the time of sowing. The ground had been so far cleared, but the roots were left below the surface, and their growth and that of the grain went on simultaneously, and ended in the survival, not of the fittest, but of the strongest. The ears shot up, and did not die suddenly, as in the preceding c...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**42. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, &c.--**The queen of Sheba (a tract in Arabia, near the shores of the Red Sea) came from a remote country, "south" of Judea, to hear the wisdom of a mere man, though a gifted one, and was transported with wonder at what she saw and heard (1Ki 10:1-9). They, when a Greater than Solomon had come to them, despised and...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

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KJV Study Commentary

The description 'But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold' shows the successful response to God's word. 'Good ground' represents receptive hearts that receive, retain, and respond to the message. The varying yields (30, 60, 100-fold) demonstrate differing degrees of fruitfulness, not different salvation levels—all are saved, but...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **Into good ground.**—Here also the Greek has the definite article, “*the* good ground.” The different results imply that even here there were different degrees of fertility. The hundredfold return was, perhaps, a somewhat uncommon increase, but the narrative of Isaac’s tillage in Genesis 26:12 shows that it was not unheard of, and had probably helped to make it the standard of a more than usu...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**43-45. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, &c.--**On this important parable, in connection with the corresponding one (Mt 12:29) see on Lu 11:21-26. A charming little incident, given only in Lu 11:27, 28, seems to have its proper place here. Lu 11:27: **And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company--**out of the crowd. **lifted up her voice...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.</strong> This phrase appears repeatedly in Jesus's teaching (Matthew 11:15, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 23, Revelation 2-3). The Greek ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω (<em>ho echōn ōta akouein akouetō</em>) is a call to spiritual discernment beyond mere physical hearing.<br><br>Everyone present had physical ears, yet Jesus distinguishes between hearing sounds and truly...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Who hath ears to hear.**—The formula had been used, as we have seen before (comp. Note on Matthew 11:15). It was probably familiar in the schools of the Rabbis, when they were testing the ingenuity or progress of their scholars.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**43-45. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, &amp;c.--**On this important parable, in connection with the corresponding one (Mt 12:29) see on Lu 11:21-26. A charming little incident, given only in Lu 11:27, 28, seems to have its proper place here. Lu 11:27: **And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company--**out of the crowd. **lifted up her voice...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The Purpose of Parables

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

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KJV Study Commentary

'And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?' After Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower publicly (v.3-9), disciples privately asked why He used parables. Their question suggests confusion—parables seemed to obscure rather than clarify. Jesus's answer (v.11-17) is shocking: parables intentionally reveal truth to some while concealing it from others. This ov...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **The disciples came, and said unto him.**—They, it would seem, were with our Lord in the boat. The parable was ended, and then followed a pause, during which, unheard by the multitude on the shore, came their question and our Lord’s answer. **Why speakest thou unto them in parables?**—The wonder of the disciples probably included many elements of surprise. Why in parables instead of, as befo...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**43-45. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, &amp;c.--**On this important parable, in connection with the corresponding one (Mt 12:29) see on Lu 11:21-26. A charming little incident, given only in Lu 11:27, 28, seems to have its proper place here. Lu 11:27: **And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company--**out of the crowd. **lifted up her voice...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus explains His parabolic method: 'He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.' This verse articulates the doctrine of divine election with remarkable clarity. The verb 'is given' (δέδοται/dedotai) is passive divine—God is the giver. Spiritual understanding isn't achieved but received; not earned but g...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **It is given.**—Better, *it has been given,* as by the special act of God. **To know the mysteries.**—The Greek word, like “parable,” has passed into modern languages, and has suffered some change of meaning in the process. Strictly speaking, it does not mean, as we sometimes use it—when we speak, *e.g.,* of the mystery of the Trinity, a truth which none can understand—something “awfully obs...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**46. While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren--**(See on Mt 13:55, 56). **stood without, desiring to speak with him--**"and could not come at Him for the press" (Lu 8:19). For what purpose these came, we learn from Mr 3:20, 21. In His zeal and ardor He seemed indifferent both to food and repose, and "they went to lay hold of Him" as one "beside Himself." Mark (Mr 3...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

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KJV Study Commentary

'For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.' Jesus explains principle underlying parabolic teaching: spiritual capacities increase or decrease based on use. 'Whosoever hath' refers to those with spiritual understanding—to them more will be given, producing abundance. 'Whosoever hath not' refer...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **Whosoever hath, to him shall be given.**—The words have the ring of a proverb applicable, in its literal meaning, to the conditions of worldly prosperity. There fortune smiles on the fortunate, and nothing succeeds like success. Something like that law, our Lord tells His disciples, is to be found in the conditions of spiritual growth in wisdom. They had some elements of that wisdom, and th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**47. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee, &amp;c.--**Absorbed in the awful warnings He was pouring forth, He felt this to be an unseasonable interruption, fitted to dissipate the impression made upon the large audience--such an interruption as duty to the nearest relatives did not require Him to give way to. But instead of a direc...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

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KJV Study Commentary

'Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.' Jesus explains why He teaches in parables: judicial hardening. The paradox: 'seeing see not; hearing hear not'—they have physical capacities but lack spiritual perception. This fulfills Isaiah 6:9-10 (quoted in v.14-15). Reformed theology recognizes this as describing reprob...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Because they seeing see not.**—As the words stand in St. Matthew, they might mean that our Lord adopted the method of parables as a condescension to their infirmities, feeding them, as babes in knowledge, with milk, and not with meat. In St. Mark and St. Luke the reason given assumes a penal character, “that seeing they might not see;” as though they were not only to be left in their ignora...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

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KJV Study Commentary

'And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.' Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9 directly, showing His generation fulfills this prophecy. The repetition emphasizes paradox: they hear but don't understand; they see but don't perceive. Physical senses function; spiritual perception is absent. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **In them is fulfilled.**—The Greek verb expresses complete fulfilment, but the tense is that of a work still in progress. The prominence given to these words of Isaiah’s in the New Testament is very noticeable. Our Lord quotes them here, St. John in John 12:40. St. Paul cites them in Acts 28:26. The quotation is from the LXX. version. It is as though the words which sounded at the very openi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples--**How graphic is this! It is the language evidently of an eye-witness. and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

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KJV Study Commentary

'For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.' Jesus continues quoting Isaiah 6:10, explaining why seeing/hearing don't produce understanding: the 'heart is waxed gross' (...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Lest at any time they** **should see.**—The words point to the obstinate, wilful ignorance which refuses to look on the truth, lest the look should lead to conviction, and conviction to conversion—the ignorance of those who love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother--**that is, "There stand here the members of a family transcending and surviving this of earth: Filial subjection to the will of My Father in heaven is the indissoluble bond of union between Me and all its members; and whosoever enters this hallowed circle becomes to Me brother, an...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

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KJV Study Commentary

'But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.' After describing those who see/hear without perceiving (v.13-15), Jesus pronounces disciples blessed (μακάριοι/makarioi) because they genuinely see and hear. This isn't physical capacity but spiritual perception—they recognize Jesus as Messiah, understand His teaching (with help), and respond in faith. Reformed theology sees ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Blessed are your eyes.**—The words are spoken to the small company of disciples in the boat. They were not as the multitude. They might see but dimly, and be slow of heart to understand, but, at least, they had eyes that looked for light, and ears that were open to the divine voice.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see</strong> (ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε)—<em>epithumeō</em> expresses intense longing, earnest desire. The Old Testament saints yearned to witness the Messiah's coming (1 Peter 1:10-12; Hebrews 11:13), but died in faith without seeing fulfillment. The disciples, however, see the incarnate Word, hear His parables, wi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **Many prophets and righteous men.**—The prophets of Israel were emphatically “men of desires.” They saw afar off the glory of the kingdom of the latter days. Each stood, as it were, on a Pisgah height, and looked on the vision of a land which he was not to enter. The words “have not seen them” seem to stand in verbal contradiction with those of John 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 13 Mt 13:1-52. Jesus Teaches by Parables. ( = Mr 4:1-34; Lu 8:4-18; 13:18-20). Introduction (Mt 13:1-3). 1. The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The Parable of the Sower Explained

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower</strong> (ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος)—<em>akouō</em> means more than auditory hearing; it implies 'hear with understanding, obey.' The emphatic <em>humeis</em> ('you yourselves') contrasts the disciples with the crowds who hear but don't comprehend (vv. 10-17). This introduces Jesus's interpretation of the parable He told in v...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **Hear ye therefore.**—The “ye” is emphatic. The interpretation which is withheld from others is given to *you.*

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship--**the article in the received text lacks authority **and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore--**How graphic this picture!--no doubt from the pen of an eye-witness, himself impressed with the scene. It was "the same day" on which the foregoing solemn discourse was delivered, when His kindred though...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not</strong> (μὴ συνιέντος)—<em>suniēmi</em> means 'to bring together, comprehend.' Without understanding, hearing is useless. <strong>The wicked one</strong> (ὁ πονηρός)—Satan, the evil one—<strong>catcheth away that which was sown in his heart</strong> (ἁρπάζει)—<em>harpazō</em> means 'to seize, snatch violently, steal.' ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **When any one heareth the word.**—The explanation has become so familiar to us that it is hard to place ourselves in the position of those to whom it was the unveiling of new truths—the holding up a mirror in which they might see, it might be, their own likeness. Our interest in it may, perhaps, be quickened if we think of it as reflecting what had actually been our Lord’s experience. The cl...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, &amp;c.--**These parables are SEVEN in number; and it is not a little remarkable that while this is the sacred number, the first FOUR of them were spoken to the mixed multitude, while the remaining THREE were spoken to the Twelve in private--these divisions, four and three, being themselves notable in the symbolical arithmetic of Scriptu...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He that received the seed into stony places</strong> (ὁ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς)—rocky ground with thin topsoil over limestone bedrock. Seed sprouts quickly in shallow soil warmed by underlying rock, creating impressive initial growth. <strong>Anon with joy receiveth it</strong> (εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνει αὐτόν)—<em>euthus</em> means 'immediately, at once.' Emotional, enthusiastic response ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **Anon with joy receiveth it.**—The second type of character stands in marked contrast with the first. Rapid change, strong emotion, a quicker show of conversion than in the case where it is more real.—such results, it need hardly be said, come under the notice of every earnest preacher. In proportion to the tendency of any system—such as the revivalist meetings of one school, the mission ser...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. offended: he relapseth, or, falleth into sin

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Yet hath he not root in himself</strong> (οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ)—no deep tap root connecting to water and nutrients. The problem is internal, not external; the issue is character, not circumstances. <strong>Dureth for a while</strong> (πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν)—<em>proskairos</em> means 'temporary, lasting only for a season.' True faith perseveres (Matthew 24:13; Hebrews 3:14).<br><br><strong...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **Yet hath he not root in himself.**—The “root” is obviously the conviction which ripens into a purpose and strikes its fibres deep down into reason, conscience, and will. **Tribulation or persecution.**—It is hardly necessary, or indeed possible, to draw any sharp line of demarcation between the two. “Persecution” implies, perhaps, a more organised attack, and therefore greater suffering; “t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He also that received seed among the thorns</strong> (ὁ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς)—thorny ground where weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water, sunlight. Unlike stony ground (which withers), thorny ground grows but remains unfruitful. <strong>The care of this world</strong> (ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος)—<em>merimna</em> means 'anxiety, worry, distraction.' <strong>The deceitfulness of riches<...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **He also that received seed among the thorns.**—See Note on Matthew 13:19. Here there is no over-rapid growth, and there is some depth of earth. The character is not one that wastes its strength in vague emotions, but has the capacity for sustained effort. The evil here is, that while there is strength of purpose, there is not unity of spirit. The man is double-minded, and would fain serve t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower: 'But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.' Good soil represents genuine believers. Three characteristics mark them: hearing, understanding, and fruitbearing. 'Understandeth' (Greek syniēsin) means spiritual com...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **He that heareth the word, and under-standeth it.**—The process is not merely an intellectual one. He takes it in, discerns its meaning. The phrases in the other Gospels express the same thing, “hear the word and receive it*”* (Mark), “in an honest and good heart” hear and retain it (Luke). Even here, however, there are different degrees of the holiness which is symbolised by “bearing fruit”...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The Parable of the Weeds

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' parable 'The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field' introduces the wheat and tares parable, teaching about the coexistence of true and false believers in the visible church. The 'good seed' represents genuine believers; the field is the world. This parable addresses the problem of evil's presence in God's kingdom and explains why judgment is delayed.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **Another parable.**—The explanation of the parable of the Sower had been given apparently in the boat in which our Lord sat with His disciples. Then, again addressing Himself to the multitude on the shore, He spake the parables of the Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven; then, dismissing the multitude (Matthew 13:36), He landed with His disciples, and went into the house which was for a ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat</strong> (ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια)—<em>zizania</em> refers to bearded darnel (<em>Lolium temulentum</em>), a weed virtually indistinguishable from wheat until grain heads form. The <strong>enemy</strong> (ὁ ἐχθρός) is Satan (v. 39), who deliberately counterfeits God's work. This isn't accidental contaminati...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25, 26) **His enemy came and sowed tares.**—The act described was then—and still is—a common form of Eastern malice or revenge. It easily escaped detection. It inflicted both loss and trouble. The “enemy” had the satisfaction of brooding for weeks or months over the prospect of the injury he had inflicted, and the vexation it would cause when discovered. The tares, known to botanists as the *Loli...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also</strong> (ὅτε δὲ ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν ἐποίησεν, τότε ἐφάνη καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια)—<em>phanerōthē</em> means 'became visible, revealed.' Darnel looks identical to wheat during early growth; only when grain heads emerge does the difference become obvious. Wheat produces edible seed; darnel produces tox...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. And the disciples came, and said unto him--**"they that were with Him, when they were alone" (Mr 4:10). **Why speakest thou to them in parables?--**Though before this He had couched some things in the parabolic form, for more vivid illustration, it would appear that He now, for the first time, formally employed this method of teaching.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field?</strong> (Κύριε, οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας)—the servants' question reveals perplexity: if the master sowed pure seed, why tares? They understand the sowing was good; the problem arose afterward. <strong>From whence then hath it tares?</strong> (πόθεν οὖν ἔχει ζιζάνια;)—<em>pothen</em...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven--**The word "mysteries" in Scripture is not used in its classical sense--of religious secrets, nor yet of things incomprehensible, or in their own nature difficult to be understood--but in the sense of things of purely divine revelation, and, usually, things darkly announced under the ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He said unto them, An enemy hath done this</strong> (ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν)—the master immediately identifies the source: not negligence, not defective seed, but hostile action. Jesus's interpretation (v. 39) clarifies: <strong>the enemy is the devil</strong>. This absolves God of evil's origin while asserting His sovereign control—evil operates only by permission within parameter...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. For whosoever hath--**that is, keeps; as a thing which he values. **to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance--**He will be rewarded by an increase of what he so much prizes. **but whosoever hath not--**who lets this go or lie unused, as a thing on which he sets no value. **from him shall be taken away even that he hath--**or as it is in Luke (Lu 8:18), "what he seemeth t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them</strong> (οὔ, μήποτε συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸν σῖτον)—<em>ekrizōsēte</em> means 'to uproot completely.' The master forbids premature judgment because darnel and wheat roots intertwine underground; pulling tares damages wheat. This reveals divine wisdom: overzealous purging harms ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(29) **But he said, Nay.**—Prior to the interpretation the householder of the parable is clearly intended to be a pattern of patient wisdom. He knows that he can defeat the malice of his foe, but he will choose his own time and plan. While both wheat and tares were green, men might mistake between the two; or, in the act of rooting up the one, tear up the other. When harvest came, and the stalks w...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13. Therefore speak I to them in parables--**which our Lord, be it observed, did not begin to do till His miracles were malignantly ascribed to Satan. **because they seeing, see not--**They "saw," for the light shone on them as never light shone before; but they "saw not," for they closed their eyes. **and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand--**They "heard," for He taught them...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.</strong> This parable of wheat and tares addresses the mixed nature of the visible church and God's final judgment. 'Let both grow together' (ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα/<em>aphete syna...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. And in them is fulfilled--**rather, "is fulfilling," or "is receiving its fulfilment." **the prophecy of Esaias, which saith--**(Is 6:9, 10--here quoted according to the Septuagint). **By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, &amp;c.--**They were thus judicially sealed up under the darkness and obduracy which they deliberately preferred to the light and healing which Jesus bro...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 24-30** , 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when goo...
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The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

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KJV Study Commentary

The parable 'The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed' emphasizes the kingdom's growth from tiny beginnings to vast influence. The mustard seed, 'least of all seeds,' produces a plant large enough for birds to nest—image of disproportionate growth. This teaches that the kingdom's insignificant start (Jesus and twelve disciples) would grow into a worldwide movement providing shelter...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(31) **The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed.**—The two parables that follow are left without an explanation, as though to train the disciples in the art of interpreting for themselves. And, so far as we can judge, they seem to have been equal to the task. They ask for the meaning of the Tares, but we read of no question about these. It is scarcely necessary to discuss at any le...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 31-35** The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strengt...
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Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Which indeed is the least of all seeds</strong> (μικρότερον, <em>mikroteron</em>)—the mustard seed was proverbially the smallest seed used in Palestinian agriculture, though not botanically the world's smallest. Jesus uses hyperbole from common experience to illustrate kingdom growth. <strong>Becometh a tree</strong> (γίνεται δένδρον, <em>ginetai dendron</em>)—the black mustard plant could...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **The least of all seeds.**—The description is, of course, popular, and need not be pressed with micro scopical exactness. **The greatest among herbs.**—More literally, *greater than the herbs*—*i.e.,* belonging to a higher order of vegetation.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your cars, for they hear--**that is, "Happy ye, whose eyes and ears, voluntarily and gladly opened, are drinking in the light divine."

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 31-35** The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strengt...
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Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. measures: the word in the Greek is a measure containing about a peck and a half, wanting a little more than a pint

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' parable 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened' presents the kingdom's permeating influence. Leaven (yeast) works invisibly, gradually, internally, and completely transforms the dough. This teaches the kingdom's transforming power in individuals and society—small beginnings produce total transformation. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(33) **The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven.**—The parable sets forth the working of the Church of Christ on the world, but not in the same way as that of the Mustard Seed. There the growth was outward, measured by the extension of the Church, dependent on its missionary efforts. Here the working is from within. The “leaven”—commonly, as in the Passover ritual, the symbol of malice and wicked...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired--**rather, "coveted." **to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them--**Not only were the disciples blessed above the blinded just spoken of, but favored above the most honored and the best that lived under the old economy, who had but gl...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 31-35** The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strengt...
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All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables</strong> (παραβολαῖς, <em>parabolais</em>)—from <em>para</em> (beside) and <em>ballō</em> (to throw), meaning a comparison or illustration placed alongside truth. Jesus's exclusive use of parables (<strong>without a parable spake he not unto them</strong>) fulfilled prophetic purpose (v. 35) but also served dual function: revealin...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(34) **Without a parable spake he not unto them.**—The words are, of course, limited by the context to this occasion, but it is noticeable from this time forward that parables are the dominant element in His teaching to the multitude, and that the mysteries of the kingdom are reserved for the more esoteric instruction of the disciples.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 31-35** The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strengt...
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That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet</strong>—Matthew quotes Psalm 78:2 (attributed to Asaph, called a prophet here though technically a psalmist). <strong>I will open my mouth in parables</strong> (παραβολαῖς, <em>parabolais</em>); <strong>I will utter things which have been kept secret</strong> (κεκρυμμένα, <em>kekrymmena</em>—perfect passive participle, meaning 'ha...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(35) **I will open my mouth in parables.**—The quotation illustrates, much in the same way as those in 8:17, 12:17, St. Matthew’s peculiar way of dealing with the prophetic language of the Old Testament. He found the word “parable” at the opening of a Psalm (Psalm 78:2). The Psalm itself was in no sense predictive, but simply an historical survey of God’s dealings with Israel from the days of the ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 31-35** The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strengt...
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The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house</strong>—a deliberate transition from public to private teaching. The disciples' request, <strong>Declare unto us the parable of the tares</strong> (φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολήν, <em>phrason hēmin tēn parabolēn</em>—'explain to us'), shows they recognized deeper meaning beyond the surface story, unlike the crowds who heard but did no...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(36) **Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.**—The question was asked privately, probably in the house of Peter, *to* which our Lord had retired with the disciples after the listening crowd upon the beach had been dismissed. It implies that the disciples had thought over the parable, and had found it harder to understand than those of the Mustard-seed and the Leaven.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man</strong> (ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, <em>ho speirōn to kalon sperma estin ho huios tou anthrōpou</em>). Jesus identifies Himself as the Sower using His favorite self-designation, 'Son of man' (Daniel 7:13-14)—emphasizing both His humanity and His eschatological authority as the one who will judge the world (v. 41).<br...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(37) **He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.**—Primarily, we must remember that the parable refers to the kingdom of heaven—*i.e.,* to that new order of things which the Christ came to establish, and which is conveniently described as the Church which owns Him as its Lord. It offers, accordingly, an explanation of the presence of evil in that Church, and only by inference and analogy doe...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The field is the world</strong> (ὁ δὲ ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος, <em>ho de agros estin ho kosmos</em>)—not merely the church, but the entire created order where believers and unbelievers coexist. <strong>The good seed are the children of the kingdom</strong> (υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας, <em>huioi tēs basileias</em>)—those who belong to God's reign through new birth. <strong>The tares are the children o...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(38) **The tares are the children of the wicked one.**—It was, perhaps, natural that theologians, who saw in heresy the greatest of all evils, should identify the tares with heretics. So far as heresy rises from the spirit of self-will, or antagonism to righteousness, we may admit that they are included in the class, but the true definition is that given in Matthew 13:41, “all things that offend, ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The enemy that sowed them is the devil</strong> (ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὁ σπείρας αὐτά ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος, <em>ho echthros ho speiras auta estin ho diabolos</em>)—Satan is the counter-sower, deliberately planting false believers to infiltrate and confuse the kingdom. <strong>The harvest is the end of the world</strong> (συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος, <em>synteleia tou aiōnos</em>—'the consummation of the age'). <s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(39) **The enemy that sowed them is the devil.**—Here, as in the parable of the Sower, there is the most distinct recognition of a personal power of evil, the enemy of God thwarting His work. It will be noticed that our Lord, as if training His disciples gradually in the art of the interpreter, gives rather the heads of an explanation of the parable than one that enters fully into details; and it ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world</strong> (ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, <em>en tē synteleía tou aiōnos toutou</em>). The comparison is explicit: just as farmers inevitably separated darnel from wheat at harvest and burned the poisonous weeds, divine judgment will separate false professors from true believers at the es...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; things: or, scandals

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The Son of man shall send forth his angels</strong> (ἀποστελεῖ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ, <em>apostelei ho huios tou anthrōpou tous angelous autou</em>)—Christ commands angelic hosts at the Second Coming (Matthew 24:31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). <strong>They shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend</strong> (πάντα τὰ σκάνδαλα, <em>panta ta skandala</em>—literally ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(41) **His angels . . .** **his kingdom.**—The vision of One who stood before men outwardly as the carpenter’s son stretches forward to the far future, and sees that the angels of God and the kingdom are alike His. **All things that offend.**—Literally, *all stumbling-blocks;* the word being explained by the clause that follows as including all that work iniquity. It lies in the nature of the case...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And shall cast them into a furnace of fire</strong> (κάμινον τοῦ πυρός, <em>kaminon tou pyros</em>)—the same phrase used in Daniel 3:6 LXX for Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, here denoting hell's conscious torment. <strong>There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth</strong> (ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων, <em>ho klauthmos kai ho brygmos tōn odontōn</em>)—a repeated phrase in Matthew (8:...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(42) I**nto a furnace of fire.**—Better, *the furnace*—*i.e.,* that of Gehenna, in which there will be *“the* wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (See Notes on Matthew 8:12.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also--**the growth in both cases running parallel, as antagonistic principles are seen to do.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.</strong> This concludes Jesus's explanation of the wheat and tares parable with glorious promise. 'Then' (τότε/<em>tote</em>)—at the consummation, after judgment separates righteous from wicked. The righteous will 'shine forth' (ἐκλάμψουσιν/<em>eklampousin</em>)—burst into r...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(43) **Then shall the righteous shine forth as** **the sun.**—The imagery is so natural that we hardly need to look for any reference to older teaching, yet we can hardly help remembering the path of the just that “shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18), and yet more, as connected more closely with the judgment to come, those “that shall shine as the brightness of the firmamen...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**27. So the servants of the householder came--**that is, Christ's ministers. **and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?--**This well expresses the surprise, disappointment, and anxiety of Christ's faithful servants and people at the discovery of "false brethren" among the members of the Church.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 13 Chapter Outline The parable of the sower.(1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder.(44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth.(53-58) **Verses 1-23** Jesus entered into a boat t...
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The Parables of Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

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KJV Study Commentary

The parable 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field' teaches the kingdom's surpassing value. The finder sells everything to buy the field containing the treasure, showing total commitment. The phrase 'for joy' demonstrates that kingdom commitment isn't grim...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(44) **The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a** **field.**—Probably no parable in the whole series came more home to the imagination of the disciples than this. Every village had its story of men who had become suddenly rich by finding some hidden hoard that had been hastily concealed in time of war or tumult. Then, as now, there were men who lived in the expectation of finding such ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this--**Kind words these from a good Husbandman, honorably clearing His faithful servants of the wrong done to his field. **The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?--**Compare with this the question of James and John (Lu 9:54), "Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume" those Samaritans?...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

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KJV Study Commentary

The parable 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls' presents another picture of the kingdom's supreme value. Unlike the accidental discovery in verse 44, this merchant actively sought pearls, representing intentional spiritual seeking. Finding 'one pearl of great price,' he sold all to buy it. This teaches that when Christ is truly encountered, all other pursuits...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(45) **Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls.**—Here again the illustration would commend itself to the thoughts of the fishermen of Galilee. The caprices of luxury in the Roman empire had given a prominence to pearls, as an article of commerce, which they had never had before, and have probably never had since. They, rather than emeralds and sapphires, were the typical instance of all c...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29. But he said, Nay--**"It will be done in due time, but not now, nor is it your business." **lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them--**Nothing could more clearly or forcibly teach the difficulty of distinguishing the two classes, and the high probability that in the attempt to do so these will be confounded.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Who, when he had found one pearl of great price</strong> (ἕνα πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην, <em>hena polytimon margaritēn</em>—'one very precious pearl'), <strong>went and sold all that he had, and bought it</strong>. This is the second 'hidden treasure' parable (cf. v. 44), but with key differences: the merchant was actively searching (v. 45), whereas the first man stumbled upon treasure. Both, h...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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The Parable of the Net

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

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KJV Study Commentary

The parable 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind' teaches the mixed nature of kingdom response and final judgment. The net indiscriminately gathers good and bad fish; likewise, the gospel call goes to all, but not all respond genuinely. Separation comes when the net is full (end of age)—angels will 'sever the wicked from among the just.'...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(47) **The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net.**—The net in this case is not the hand-net of Matthew 4:18, but the *sagenè,* or great drag-net, which drew in a larger haul of fishes. The day’s teaching in the method of parables ends, as it were, in an easy lesson, which the former experience of the disciples would enable them to understand. Still, as in the parable of the Tares, the main thought...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Which, when it was full, they drew to shore</strong>—This concludes the parable of the dragnet (vv. 47-48), illustrating final judgment. The Greek πληρόω (plēroō, 'to fill') emphasizes completion of the gospel age. <strong>Gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away</strong> (τὰ καλὰ εἰς ἀγγεῖα...τὰ δὲ σαπρὰ ἔξω ἔβαλον) depicts divine discrimination—καλός means 'beautiful, noble,...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So shall it be at the end of the world</strong> (ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος)—συντέλεια means 'consummation, completion' not mere termination, pointing to the goal toward which history moves. This phrase appears seven times in Matthew (13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20), making eschatology central to Jesus's teaching. <strong>The angels shall come forth</strong> (ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι) assigns j...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And shall cast them into the furnace of fire</strong> (βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός)—This exact phrase appears in 13:42, creating a thematic link between the wheat/tares and dragnet parables. The κάμινος (furnace) was a smelting furnace, not a mere cooking fire, emphasizing intensity and purpose. The future tense βαλοῦσιν ('they will cast') underscores the certainty, not mere ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Have ye understood all these things?</strong> (Συνήκατε ταῦτα πάντα;)—The verb συνίημι (syniēmi) means 'to bring together, to comprehend,' implying more than intellectual assent—it suggests spiritual insight. 'All these things' refers to the seven parables of Matthew 13: sower (vv. 3-9), wheat and tares (24-30), mustard seed (31-32), leaven (33), hidden treasure (44), pearl of great price ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(51) **Have ye understood all these things?**—The verb is the same as that used in the parable of the Sower. An intellectual apprehension of the truth, which is also spiritual, is the condition of the growth in wisdom which enables the disciple to become in due course a teacher. There was doubtless in the answer of the disciples a grateful consciousness of a rapid increase in knowledge and insight...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven</strong> (πᾶς γραμματεὺς μαθητευθεὶς τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν)—The γραμματεύς (scribe) was an expert in Torah, but here Jesus redefines the role. The aorist passive participle μαθητευθείς ('having been discipled') shows these are not self-taught experts but those taught by Christ Himself. They are scribes transformed by kingdom ins...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(52) **Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven.**—The verse is interesting as one of the very few passages in which our Lord compares His own work and that of the Apostles after Him to that of the scribes of the Jewish schools. That He was so regarded during His ministry—that men thought of Him as a Rabbi, no less than as a Prophet, or as the Christ—is clear from the ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 44-52** Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, Joh 5:39, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given ...
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Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables</strong> (Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὰς παραβολὰς ταύτας)—This transitional formula appears five times in Matthew (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1), marking major discourse sections: the Sermon on the Mount, missionary instructions, kingdom parables, church discipline, and the Olivet Discourse. The verb τελέω (teleō) me...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When he was come into his own country</strong> (εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ)—The πατρίς (homeland, native place) refers to Nazareth (Mark 6:1; Luke 4:16), where Jesus grew up (Matthew 2:23). This return occurs after extensive Galilean ministry, making their rejection more culpable. <strong>He taught them in their synagogue</strong>—Despite knowing He would face rejection (Luke 4:24), Jesus faith...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(54) **When he was come into his own country.**—The visit to Nazareth, here recorded in almost-identical terms with Mark 6:1-6, has so many points of resemblance with the narrative of Luke 4:16-31 that many critics have supposed it to be a less complete account of the same fact. On this assumption, the narrative must be misplaced in its relation to other facts in one or other of the Gospels. A dis...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Is not this the carpenter's son?</strong> (οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός;)—The τέκτων (tektōn) was a craftsman working with wood, stone, or metal—a respectable but common trade. Mark 6:3 calls Jesus Himself 'the carpenter,' showing He worked with His hands (likely until age 30). Their question drips with contempt: 'this one,' 'the son of the carpenter'—attempting to box Jesus into th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(55) **Is not this the carpenter’s son?**—In St. Mark, the question appears in the form, “Is not this the carpenter?” and it is, of course, in the nature of things probable that He both helped in the workshop during Joseph’s life, and assisted the “brethren” to carry on the work after his death. Justin Martyr (*Dial. c. Tryph.* c. 88) relates that in his time articles said to have been made by Him...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**30-39. Let both grow together--**that is, in the visible Church. **until the harvest--**till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for destruction. (See on Mt 13:39). **and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers--**(See on Mt 13:39). **Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them--**"in the fire" (Mt 13:40). **but gather the wheat into ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And his sisters, are they not all with us?</strong> (καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσιν;)—The plural ἀδελφαί (sisters) and the word πᾶσαι ('all') suggest at least two or three sisters, making Jesus part of a large family (at least seven siblings total). <strong>Are they not all with us?</strong> emphasizes ongoing local residence—'these people are still here, still ordinary.' ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they were offended in him</strong> (καὶ ἐσκανδαλίζοντο ἐν αὐτῷ)—The verb σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō) means 'to cause to stumble, to take offense.' The imperfect tense indicates ongoing, repeated offense. They stumbled over the σκάνδαλον (skandalon, 'stumbling block') of the incarnation—that God would come in such humble form. This anticipates Paul's teaching that Christ crucified is 'a stu...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(57) **They were offended in him.**—The word is used in the same sense as in Matthew 11:6. They could not reconcile the new wisdom and the claim which the teaching implied with the obscurity and commonness of the earlier life, and so they did not believe. **A prophet is not without honour** . . . The words in St. Mark include “among his kindred.” The proverb seems to have been one often on our Lor...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom--**to which they never really belonged. They usurped their place and name and outward privileges; but "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners [abide] in the congregation of the righteous" (Psa 1:5). **all things that offend--**all those who have proved a stumbling-block to others **and ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he did not many mighty works there</strong> (καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ δυνάμεις πολλάς)—Mark 6:5 intensifies this: 'He could do no mighty work there' (οὐκ ἐδύνατο...ποιῆσαι οὐδεμίαν δύναμιν), except healing a few sick. This doesn't limit Christ's power but shows His refusal to perform miracles where they would be spurned. The δυνάμεις (dynameis, 'mighty works, miracles') testified to His m...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(58) **He did not many mighty works there.**—In St. Mark the language is stronger, “He *could* do no mighty works there.” The wonder-working power was not absolute and unconditioned, but depended on the faith of those who came to Him. Without that, the will and the power were alike thwarted. St. Mark adds, with more precision, that He “laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” **Ellic...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire--**rather, "the furnace of fire": **there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth--**What terrific strength of language--the "casting" or "flinging" expressive of indignation, abhorrence, contempt (compare Psa 9:17; Da 12:2): "the furnace of fire" denoting the fierceness of the torment: the "wailing" signifying the anguish this causes; while the "g...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 53-58** Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbel...
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