Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Luke 8:9

His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant,

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

Christian Standard Bible®
Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”
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?
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

4 People kept coming to Jesus from one town after another; and when a great crowd gathered, Jesus told this parable: 5 "Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some of it fell on rocky ground, and when the plants sprouted, they dried up because the soil had no moisture. 7 Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up with the plants and choked them. 8 And some seeds fell in good soil; the plants grew and bore grain, one hundred grains each." And Jesus concluded, "Listen, then, if you have ears!" 9 His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant, 10 and he answered, "The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to the rest it comes by means of parables, so that they may look but not see, and listen but not understand. 11 "This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. 12 The seeds that fell along the path stand for those who hear; but the Devil comes and takes the message away from their hearts in order to keep them from believing and being saved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who hear the message and receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away.

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 anywhere, no place to call your own; the Lord will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.
Psalms 116:7
Be confident, my heart, because the Lord has been good to me.
Isaiah 60:8
What are these ships that skim along like clouds, Like doves returning home?
Ezekiel 7:16
Some will escape to the mountains like doves frightened from the valleys. All of them will moan over their sins.
Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
John 16:33
I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated 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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile