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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Luke 8:9

Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agriculture;   Character;   Converts;   Jesus, the Christ;   Word of God;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   The Topic Concordance - Bearing Fruit;   Disciples/apostles;   Knowledge;   Parables;   Understanding;   Word of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Communion (2);   Easton Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Poor;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   Evangelism;   Lord's Prayer, the;   Luke, Gospel of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Disciples;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Discourse;   Doctrines;   Ear (2);   Luke;   Organization (2);   Parable;   Perplexity;   Religious Experience;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Parable;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Allegory;  

Parallel Translations

King James Version (1611)
And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
King James Version
And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
English Standard Version
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
New American Standard Bible
Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.
New Century Version
Jesus' followers asked him what this story meant.
Amplified Bible
Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.
Legacy Standard Bible
And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.
Berean Standard Bible
Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
Contemporary English Version
Jesus' disciples asked him what the story meant.
Complete Jewish Bible
His talmidim asked him what this parable might mean,
Darby Translation
And his disciples asked him [saying], What may this parable be?
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus' followers asked him, "What does this story mean?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then his disciples asked him, demaunding what parable that was.
George Lamsa Translation
And his disciples asked him, What is this parable?
Good News Translation
His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant,
Lexham English Bible
And his disciples asked him what this parable meant.
Literal Translation
And His disciples questioned Him, saying, What might this parable be?
American Standard Version
And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
Bible in Basic English
And his disciples put questions to him about the point of the story.
Hebrew Names Version
Then his talmidim asked him, "What does this parable mean?"
International Standard Version
Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant.Matthew 13:10; Mark 4:10;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And his disciples asked him, What is (the signification of) this parable ?
Murdock Translation
And his disciples asked him: what meaneth this similitude?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And his disciples asked hym, saying what maner of similitude is this?
English Revised Version
And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
World English Bible
Then his disciples asked him, "What does this parable mean?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And his disciples asked him, What is this parable?
Weymouth's New Testament
The disciples proceeded to ask Him what this parable meant.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But hise disciplis axiden him, what this parable was.
Update Bible Version
And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
Webster's Bible Translation
And his disciples asked him, saying, What doth this parable mean?
New English Translation
Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.
New King James Version
Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-12">[xr] Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"
New Living Translation
His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
New Life Bible
His followers asked Him what this picture-story meant.
New Revised Standard
Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But his disciples began to question him - What might, this very, parable be?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
Revised Standard Version
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And his disciples axed him sayinge: what maner similitude is this?
Young's Literal Translation
And his disciples were questioning him, saying, `What may this simile be?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And his disciples axed him, and sayde: What symilitude is this?
Mace New Testament (1729)
But his disciples having ask'd him the meaning of this parable;
THE MESSAGE
His disciples asked, "Why did you tell this story?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
Later on, when they were alone, some of his cowboys asked about the stories.

Contextual Overview

4As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable: 5“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.” 9Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?” 10So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you 11“This is the meaning of the parable: 12The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Hosea 6:3, Matthew 13:10, Matthew 13:18, Matthew 13:36, Matthew 15:15, Mark 4:10, Mark 4:34, Mark 7:17, Mark 7:18, John 15:15

Reciprocal: Mark 14:22 - this

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 28:65
You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit.
Psalms 116:7
Return to your rest, my soul,for the Lord has been good to you.
Isaiah 60:8
Who are these who fly like a cloud,like doves to their shelters?
Ezekiel 7:16
The survivors among them will escapeand live on the mountains.Like doves of the valley,all of them will moan,each over his own iniquity.
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And his disciples asked him,.... That is, as Mark says, "when he was alone"; after the multitude were departed, and they were by themselves, it may be in some house with other disciples:

saying, what might this parable be? what is the sense and meaning of it? According to Matthew, they asked why he spake in parables to the people; and to such a question the following words are a proper answer.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the parable of the sower explained in the notes at Matthew 13:1-23.


 
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