the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular masculine
disciples
μαθηταὶmathētai
G3101
a learner · noun — nominative plural masculine
asked
ἘπηρώτωνEpērōtōn
G1905
to ask for · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural
him
αὐτοῦautou
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
saying
λέγωlégō
G3004
properly
What
τίςtis
G5101
an interrogative pronoun · interrogative pronoun — nominative singular feminine
might
εἴηνeíēn
G1498
might (could
this
αὕτηhautē
G3778
the he (she or it) · demonstrative pronoun — nominative singular feminine
parable
παραβολή;parabolē
G3850
a similitude ("parable") · noun — nominative singular feminine
be
εἴηνeíēn
G1498
might (could
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as…
Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tar…
Matthew 15:15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
Mark 4:34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
Mark 7:17-18 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Luke 8:4-21
The former paragraph began with an account of Christ's industry in preaching (Luk 8:1); this begins with an account of the people's industry in hearing, Luk 8:4. He went into every city, to preach; so they, one would think, should have contented themselves to hear him when he came to their own city (we know those that would); but there were those here that came to him out of every city, would not stay till he came to them, nor think that they had enough when he left them, but met him when he was coming towards them, and followed him when he was going from them. Nor did he excuse himself from going to the cities with this, that there were some from the cities that came to him; for, though the…
Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward--If the steward of such a godless, cruel, and licentious wretch as Herod Antipas (see on Mar 6:14, &c.) differed greatly from himself, his post would be no easy or enviable one. That he was a disciple of Christ is very improbable, though he might be favorably disposed towards Him. But what we know not of him, and may fear he lacked, we are sure his wife possessed. Healed either of "evil spirits" or of some one of the "infirmities" here referred to--the ordinary diseases of humanity--she joins in the Saviour's train of grateful, clinging followers. Of "Susanna," next mentioned, we know nothing but the name, and that here only. But her services on this me…
A sower went out to sow - See all this parable largely explained on Matthew 13:1-23 (note).
John Gill on Luke 8:9
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.
The Church Fathers
But his disciples asked him what this parable might be. No one should think that the disciples immediately asked the Savior about these things as soon as the parable was finished, but as Mark says, when he was alone, those who were with him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.
For as often as the admonition occurs either in the Gospel or the Revelation of St. John, it signifies that there is a mystical meaning in what is said, and we must inquire more closely into it. Hence the disciples who were ignorant ask our Saviour, for it follows, And his disciples asked him, &c. But let no one suppose that as soon as the parable was finished His disciples asked Him, but as Mark says, When he was alone they asked him. (Mark 4:10.)
The word of the Savior, so to speak, is constantly hidden. The blessed psalmist has also brought him before us saying, "I will open my mouth in parables." See what he spoke in olden times happened. "A large multitude was assembled round him of people from all Judea, and he spoke to them in parables." Since they were not worthy to learn the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, he wrapped the word for them in darkness.…It was not granted to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but rather to us, who are more ready to embrace the faith. He has given us, since he is perfect wisdom, the ability to understand parables and the dark saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. Parables, we may say, are the images not of visible objects but rather spiritual and understandable by the intellect. The parable points out to the eyes of the mind what is impossible to see with the eyes of the body. It beautifully shapes out the subtlety of intellectual things by means of the things of sense and palpable to the touch.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Parable — (Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used to denote (1) a proverb (1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chr. 7:20), (2) a…
Agriculture · Of the — Of the
Converts · “Good ground,” — “Good ground,”
Parables · Parables of christ: Sower — Parables of christ: Sower
Word Of God · .To seed — .To seed
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Luke 8:1-10
Luke 8:1-10, 18
Matthew 13:1-17
Mark 4:1-12, 24-25
Luke 8:1-10, 18
1. And on the same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat down near the sea. 2. And great multitudes were gathered to him, so that he entered into a ship, and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the shore. 3. And he said many things to them by parables, saying, Lo, one who was sowing, some seeds fell near the road, and the birds came and devoured them. 5. And some fell on stony places, where they had not much earth, and immediately they sprang up, because they had not depth of earth. 6. But when the sun rose, they were burnt up, and because they had not a root, they withered away. 7. Others again fell on t…
