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Greek Lessons
- The Law That Sets Free: A Grammar of Liberation in Romans 8:2
- Moved to Speak: Temporal Setting and Genitive Absolute in Mark 8:1
- The Hour Had Not Yet Come: Divine Timing and Aorist Action in John 7:30
- Because of This Word: Perfect Tense and Power at a Distance
- The Greatest and the Least: Superlative Contrast and Kingdom Inversion in Luke 7:28
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Category
Tag Archives: Matthew 13:19
The Word on the Path: Participles, Aspect, and the Heart’s Soil in Matthew 13:19
παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος, ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ αἴρει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς. (Matthew 13:19)
Sowing, Hearing, and the Attack on Understanding
In Matthew 13:19, Jesus explains the first part of the parable of the sower—where the seed falls on the path and is snatched away. But the Greek is not merely explanatory; it’s strategic. It uses participles to frame human experience, perfects to show lasting condition, and presents to portray the activity of spiritual threat.
This article explores:
The genitive absolute construction παντὸς ἀκούοντος… καὶ μὴ συνιέντος The force of ἔρχεται and αἴρει as present active verbs describing evil agency The perfect participle ἐσπαρμένον and its implications The identification clause οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ… σπαρείς παντὸς ἀκούοντος… μὴ συνιέντος – The Genitive Absolute of Uncomprehending HearingThe verse begins with a genitive absolute construction:
Grammatical Breakdown: παντὸς ἀκούοντος – genitive masculine singular, present active participle of ἀκούω, “of everyone hearing” μὴ συνιέντος – genitive masculine singular, present active participle of συνίημι, “not understanding”This phrase sets the background condition: the parable applies to anyone who hears the word of the kingdom but does not grasp it.… Learn Koine Greek
When the Evil One Comes”: A Study of Ellipsis and Implicit Action in Matthew 13:19
παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος, ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ αἴρει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς.
The Parable of the Sower and the Hidden Verb
In Matthew 13:19, Jesus begins to interpret the parable of the sower — explaining what happens to the seed sown along the path. The verse opens with a participial construction that appears complete but contains a subtle grammatical gap:
> “Every one who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and takes away what was sown in his heart…”
This sentence is elliptical — it omits a finite verb that we instinctively supply based on context.… Learn Koine Greek
