In the parable of the sower, Luke 8:15 describes the “good soil” — not simply as agricultural metaphor but as a rich example of participial and finite verb interplay, word order for emphasis, and aspectual nuance in Greek. The verse identifies the fruitful hearers and highlights their internal disposition, response, and enduring result. This grammar-packed sentence rewards close study.
Τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ. (Luke 8:15)
But the ones on the good ground these are those who in a good and noble heart having heard the word hold it fast and bear fruit in endurance.
Structure and Syntax: Who Are These People?
The sentence begins with a demonstrative explanation: οὗτοί εἰσιν — “these are” — tying the parable’s narrative to its interpretation. What follows is a relative clause (οἵτινες), richly layered with participles and present indicatives that define the kind of people bearing fruit:
- ἀκούσαντες – aorist active participle, “having heard”
- κατέχουσι – present active indicative, “they hold fast”
- καρποφοροῦσιν – present active indicative, “they bear fruit”
Aorist vs. Present: The Timeline of Response
The shift from the aorist ἀκούσαντες to the present κατέχουσι and καρποφοροῦσιν is grammatically significant. The hearing is a completed act — they heard the word decisively. The results, however, are continuous: they keep holding it and keep bearing fruit. This temporal and aspectual sequencing mirrors spiritual reality — one moment of genuine hearing produces a lifetime of growth.
Word Order and Emphasis: The Heart of the Matter
Greek places strong emphasis at the beginning of clauses. ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ — “in a good and noble heart” — comes early, before the participle, showing that their character precedes their hearing. Luke uses two adjectives (καλῇ and ἀγαθῇ) to describe the heart, doubling the moral quality and reinforcing the soil metaphor with interior depth.
Table of Key Verbs
| Greek | Parsing | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ἀκούσαντες | Aorist Active Participle, Nominative Masculine Plural | Describes the initial hearing of the word |
| κατέχουσι | Present Active Indicative, 3rd Person Plural | They hold fast the word |
| καρποφοροῦσιν | Present Active Indicative, 3rd Person Plural | They bear fruit continuously |
The Fruit of Perseverance
The final phrase ἐν ὑπομονῇ (“in perseverance”) tells us how fruit-bearing happens: not in bursts, but with endurance. The preposition ἐν shows that perseverance is the sphere in which their fruitfulness lives. This echoes the parable’s agricultural imagery — crops do not grow instantly, and neither does spiritual maturity.
Rooted and Growing
Luke 8:15 binds together grammar and discipleship.
