Synoptic Gospels Primer - The Sower Allegorized (Greek)

Parallel Texts in Matthew, Mark & Luke

4. Understanding The Sower
Matt 13:18-23 // Mark 4:13-20 // Luke 8:11-15

context

Greek synopsis

English synopsis

parable

analysis

source hypotheses

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Greek Text

The reconstruction of the gospel texts below is based on the critical edition of E. Nestle's Novum Testamentum Graece presented with a fuller critical apparatus in Kurt Aland's Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum ed. ii (Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1964) pp. 177-178. The matched column format & color coding employed here is the original work of the author of this electronic edition.

Note: The accented Greek script used to compose this synopsis is SP Ionic.
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EXPLAINING the PARABLE of the SOWER
Matthew 13		Mark 4		Luke 8
18		13	Kai\ le/gei au)toi=j :
	(Umei=j ou}n		ou)k oi1date	11	1Estin de\
	a)kou&sate				au#th
	th_n parabolh_n		th_n parabolh_n		h( parabolh& :
			tau&thn,
			kai\ pw~j pa&saj
			ta_j parabola_j
			gnw&sesqe ;
	tou~ spei/rantoj.	14	o( spei/rwn		o( spo&roj e0sti\n
			to_n lo/gon		o( lo&goj
			spei/rei.		tou~ qeou~.
		15	ou{toi de\ ei0sin oi9	12	oi9 de\
		**	para_ th_n o)do&n,	**	para_ th_n o)do&n
			o#pou		ei0sin
			spei/retai o( logoj,
19	Pa&ntoj		kai\ o#tan		oi9
	a)kou&ontoj		a)kou&swsin,		a)kou&santej,
	to_n lo&gon
	th~j basilei/aj
	kai\ mh_ sunie/toj
	e1rxetai		eu)qu_j e1rxetai		e1rxetai
	o( ponhro_j		o( satana~j		o( dia/boloj
	kai\ a(rpa&zei		kai\ ai1rei		kai\ ai1rei
			to_n lo&gon		to_n lo&gon
	to_ e0sparme/non		to_n e0sparme/non
	e0n th\|~ kardi/a	***	ei0j		a)po_ th~j kardi/aj
	\| au)tou:		au)tou&j~ .		au)tw~n:
					i#na
					mh_ pisteu&santej
					swqw~sin.
	ou(to&j e)stin o(
**	para_ th_n o)do_n
	sparei/j.
20	o9 de\	16	kai\ ou}toi/ ei0sin	13	oi9 de\
			o(moi/wj oi9
	\ e0pi\ ta\ petrw&dh		e0pi\ ta\ petrw&dh		e0pi\ th~j pe/traj
	sparei/j,		speiro&menoi,
	ou}to&j e0stin o(		oi9 o#tan		oi9 o#tan
			a)kou&swsin		a)kou&swsin
	to_n lo&gon *		to_n lo&gon *
	a)kou&wn
	kai\ eu)qu\j		eu)qu\j
	meta\ xara~j		meta\ xara~j		meta\ xara~j
	lamba&nwn		lamba&nousin		de/xontai
	au)to&n,		au)to&n,		to_n lo&gon: *
		17	kai\		kai\ ou}toi
21	ou)k e1xei de\		ou)k e1xousin *
	r(i/zan		r(i/zan		r(i/zan
	e0n e9autw~\|		e0n e9autoi=j		ou)k e1xousin,*
	a)lla		a)lla_
	pro&skairo&j		pro&skairoi/		oi9 kairo_n
	e0stin,		ei0sin,		pisteu&sin
	genome/nhj de\		ei}ta genome/nhj		kai\ e0n kairw~\|
	qli/yewj		qli/yewj		peirasmou~
	h@ diwgmou~		h@ diwgmou~
	dia_ to_n lo&gon		dia_ to_n lo&gon
	eu)qu\j		eu)qu\j
	skandali/zetai.		skandali/zontai.		a)fi/stantai.
22	o9 de\	18	kai\ a!lloi ei0sin	14	to_ de\
	ei0j		oi9 ei0j		ei0j
	ta_j a)ka&nqaj		ta_j a)ka&nqaj		ta_j a)ka&nqaj
	sparei/j,		speiro&menoi:		peso&n,
	ou}toj/ e0stin o(		ou}toi/ ei0sin oi9		ou}toi/ ei0sin oi9
	to_n logon		to_n logon
	a)kou&wn,		a)kou&santej,		a)kou&santej,
	kai\	19	kai\		kai\
	h( me/rimna		ai9 me/rimnai		u(po_ merimnw~n
	tou~ ai0w~noj		tou~ ai0w~noj
	kai\ h( a)pa&th		kai\ h( a)pa&th		kai\
	tou~ plou&tou		tou~ plou&tou		plou&tou
			kai\ ai9		kai\
			peri\ ta_ loipa_		h(donw~n
			e0piqumi/ai		tou~ bi/ou
			ei0sporeuo&menoi		poreuo&menoi
	sumpni/gei		sumpni/gousin		sumpni/gontai
	to_n logon		to_n logon
	kai\ a!karpoj		kai\ a!karpoj		kai\ ou)
	gi/netai.		gi/netai.		telesforou~sin
23	o( de\	20	kai\ e)keinoi ei0sin oi9	15	to_ de\
	e0pi\		e0pi\ th_n gh~n *		e0n
	th_n kalh_n gh~n *		th_n kalh_n		th~\| kalh~\| gh~\|
	sparei/j,		spare/ntej,
	ou}to&j e0stin				ou}toi/ ei0sin
	o(		oi#tinej		oi#tinej
					e0n kardi/a\|
					kalh~\|
					kai\ a)gaqh~\|
	to_n lo&gon *		a)kou&ousin		a)kou&santej
	a)kou&wn		to_n lo&gon *		to_n lo&gon *
	kai\		kai\
	suniei/j,		parade/xontai		kate/xousin
	kai\		kai\		kai\
	karpoforei=		karpoforou~sin		karpoforou~sin
	kai\ poiei=
	o4 me\n e9kato&n *		e0n tria&konta *
	o4 de\		kai\
	e9ch&konta		e0n e9ch&konta
	o4 de\		kai\
	tria&konta. *		e0n e9kato&n. *		e0n u(pomonh~\|.

** Note: The prepositional phrase para_ th_n o)do&n is located at the beginning of Mark 4:15 // Luke 8:12 while it occurs only at the end of Matt 13:19.

*** Note: Early Egyptian codices -- including Sinaiticus & Vaticanus (4th c. CE) -- generally have the prepositional phrase ei0j au)tou&j at the end of Mark 4:15. Most Byzantine texts & codex Bezae, however, read instead: e0n tai=j kardi/aij (plural) au)tw~n. Other mss., including a few Egyptian texts like Alexandrinus, have th~j kardi/aj (singular) au)tw~n with some preposition other than "into". Which is more likely?:

some Egyptian scribe overlooked "heart" in the Markan text & substituted the logically awkward preposition "into" for "in"? Or

some Greek scribe "corrected" the wording of Mark 4:15 to read more like Matt 13:19.

Color Code

Blue Three gospels use same vocabulary.

Teal Two gospels use same vocabulary.

Black Words unique to a particular gospel.

* Same wording, different order.

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Greek synopsis

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last revised 29 December 2005