But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
8. some an hundredfold, &c.] The different kinds of fertility may be ascribed to different kinds of grain; barley yields more than wheat, and “white maize sown in the neighbourhood often yields several hundredfold.” See Thomson’s Land and Book, p. 83.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mat 13:8; Mat 13:23
But other fell on good ground and brought forth fruit.
The fruit thirty-fold seems to represent the case of those who fear; sixty-fold the ease of those who hope; the hundredfold those who love. (Hermann.)
As in the bad ground, the diversity was threefold-the wayside, the stony, and the thorny:-so in the good ground there is a like diversity-the fruit yielding some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Zeroing.)
Qualifications for the reception of Gods truth
1. Sensibility to religious impressions.
2. Thoughtfulness.
3. Unworldliness.
4. An honest and good heart.
Growth precious because perilous
In the soil of the heart is found all the nutriment of spiritual life, and all the nutriment of the weeds and poisons which destroy spiritual life. And it is this which makes Christian character, when complete, a thing so inestimably precious. There are things precious, not from the materials of which they are made, but from the risk and difficulty of bringing them to perfection. The speculum of the largest telescope foils the opticians skill in casting. Too much or too little heat-the interposition of a grain of sand, a slight alteration in the temperature of the weather, and all goes to pieces-it must be recast. Therefore, when successfully finished, it is a matter for almost the congratulation of a country. Rarer, and more difficult still than the costliest part of the most delicate of instruments, is the completion of Christian character. Only let there come the heat of persecution-or the cold of human desertion-a little of the worlds dust-and the rare and costly thing is cracked, and becomes a failure. (F. W. Robertson.)
Good ground
1. A good and honest heart is a perfect and sincere heart.
2. It is an obedient heart.
3. It is a faithful heart.
4. It is a jealous heart.
5. It is a fruitful heart. (B. Keach.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. Good ground] Where the earth was deep, the field well ploughed, and the brambles and weeds all removed. See more on Mt 13:18, c., and see on Lu 8:15.
Some a hundred-fold.] For the elucidation of this text, I beg leave to introduce the following experiment. In 1816 I sowed, for a third crop, a field with oats, at Millbrook, in Lancashire the grains weighed, on an average, 3/4 of a grain each. One grain produced three stalks with three ears: the largest had 68 grains in it, the second 26, and the third 25.
Whole number of grains 119, which together
weighed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 grs
The root separately, after washing and
drying, weighed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1/2
The stalks and remaining leaves (for many
had perished in the wet season) . . . . . 630 1/2
——-
Weight of the whole produce of one grain
of oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726 grs. which was 725 times and one quarter more than the original weight.
The power of grain to multiply itself, even in the same year, is a subject as much of curiosity and astonishment as of importance and general utility. For the farther elucidation of this text, I shall give the following example from a practice in agriculture, or rural economy, which is termed filtering.
On the 2nd of June, 1766, Mr. C. Miller, of Cambridge, sowed some grains of the common, red wheat; and on the 8th of August a single plant was taken up, and separated into 18 parts, and each planted separately: these plants having pushed out several side shoots, about the middle of September some of them were taken up and divided; and the rest between that time and October. This second division produced 67 plants. These plants remained through the winter, and another division of them, made between the middle of March and the 12th of April, produced 500 plants. They were divided no farther, but permitted to remain in the field. These plants were in general stronger than any of the wheat in the field. Some of them produced upwards of 100 ears from a single root and many of the ears measured seven inches in length, and contained between sixty and seventy grains. The whole number of ears produced from the single plant was 21,109, which yielded three pecks and three-quarters of clear corn, weighing 47lbs. 7oz., and, from a calculation made by counting the grains in an ounce, the whole number of grains was about 576,840. Mr. Miller thinks that, had he made a second division in the spring, the number of plants would have amounted to 2000. Who can help admiring the wisdom and providence of God in this single grain of corn! He has, in some sort, impressed on it an idea of his own infinity; and an idea which, like the subject to which it refers, confounds our imagination and reason. How infinitely great is God, even in his minor works.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
But others fell into good ground,…. Not beaten and trodden by the feet of men, nor stony, nor thorny, but well broke up, manured, and tilled; which designs good, honest hearted hearers who become so by the Spirit and grace of God; who with a spiritual understanding, experience, savour, and relish, what they hear; see
Mt 13:23
and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold: some seeds produced an hundred, others sixty, and others thirty. The first of these especially was a large increase, but what was sometimes had, and which Isaac received in Gerar, in the land of the Philistines, Ge 26:12 and is what Pliny says g of Byzacium, a country of the Lybiphoenicians, that it yielded an hundred fold to its husbandmen; and of such fruitfulness was the land of Israel, of which the Jewish doctors say some things incredible: they tell us a story h of
“one that sowed a measure of vetches, or pease,
, “and it produced three hundred measures”; they say unto him, the Lord hath begun to bless thee, c.”
Here, in the parable, these various increases intend the different degrees of fruitfulness in gracious souls for though the fruits of grace, in believers, are of the same quality, yet not of the same quantity. Some believers are grown to a greater maturity than others; some are but little children, some are young men, some are fathers.
g Nat. Hist. 1. 5. c. 4. h T. Hieros. Peah, fol. 20. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Yielded fruit ( ). Change to imperfect tense of , to give, for it was continuous fruit-bearing.
Some a hundredfold ( ). Variety, but fruit. This is the only kind that is worth while. The hundredfold is not an exaggeration (cf. Ge 26:12). Such instances are given by Wetstein for Greece, Italy, and Africa. Herodotus (i. 93) says that in Babylonia grain yielded two hundredfold and even to three hundredfold. This, of course, was due to irrigation as in the Nile Valley.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
A hundred – fold. Mentioned as something extraordinary. Compare Gen 26:12. Herodotus (i. 93) says of Babylonia, “In grain it is so fruitful as to yield commonly two – hundred – fold; and when the production is the greatest, even three – hundred – fold.”
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “But other fell into good ground and brought forth,” (alla de epesen epi ten gen ten halen kai ediou karpon) “And other seed fell upon the good earth and gave fruit,” to the sower, producing the good result that every sower desires. This symbolizes the receiving or believing heart, that causes one to be saved or born again, so that he can bring forth good fruit, Rom 10:9-10; Act 15:9.
2) “Some an hundredfold,” (ho men hekaton) “Some an hundred times gain,” a superlative harvest, a “bumper” crop, according to the ability of the receiver of the seed-word.
3) “Some sixty fold,” (ho de heksekonta) “Then other a sixty times gain,” above an average harvest, according to the ability of the one who believed or received the seed-word to serve in the sower’s field.
4) “And some thirtyfold.” (ho de triakonta) “Then other seed thirty times gain,” a harvest that merited the sower thirty times the grain and labors put into his production. This fruit, of the life of those who received the word, though not as abundant as the former two classes, was still pleasing to the sower and the husbandman, and the thing our Lord would commend, 1Co 3:8; Eph 2:10.
The lesson is that those who receive the Word, the seed sown by the Son of man, into their hearts, should be manifest in reproduction of other fruit of like nature or kind, Joh 15:1-27; 2Pe 1:4-12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(8) Into good ground.Here also the Greek has the definite article, the good ground. The different results imply that even here there were different degrees of fertility. The hundredfold return was, perhaps, a somewhat uncommon increase, but the narrative of Isaacs tillage in Gen. 26:12 shows that it was not unheard of, and had probably helped to make it the standard of a more than usually prosperous harvest.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“And others fell on the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
But some of the seed would fall on the ground which yielded to the plough, some parts better than others, and the result was that it would grow and yield fruit with various measures of success. But even the good seed was graded because of the quality of the ground. Nevertheless in this case it developed splendidly.
The fruitfulness of the seed should be noted. The power of the seed is being accentuated. Thirtyfold indicates completeness (three times ten), sixtyfold indicates intensified completeness (three times two times ten), and a hundredfold even greater completeness (ten times ten). The fruitfulness of the good seed in the Kingly Rule of Heaven will be abundant and satisfying.
It is unwise to try to analyse too closely the details of the parable. The aim was not accuracy of detail but the getting over of the point. Jesus was not aiming to give an accurate lesson on farming techniques. In fact He was a carpenter talking to some who were experienced farmers, and they would instantly recognise the distortions and learn from them. (The very distortions in fact demonstrate that to Jesus the details were intended to be important). But the story was intended to convey the facts of His ministry, (and in a sense of all ministry), and if to us too much of the seed appears to be wasted we must recognise that that is precisely what did happen to Jesus’ teaching, and therefore was necessary as a point in the story, and provided a stern warning to the listeners. As we have learned previously the majority did not hear. But it was all made up for by those who did hear. In them the power of the word brought forth fruit abundantly, ‘thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold’.
Furthermore the people would recognise that the seed had resulted in fourfold results; snatched up by birds, withering in the sun, choking among the thistles, and some wonderfully fruitful, and many would ponder over what these pictures indicated as they went along. They had not read the books that said that they had to wait for the end of the parable, and they had a number of Old Testament parables to go by (e.g. Isa 5:1-7, depicting poor results; Mat 27:1-6, depicting good results) which would, if they thought about it, make them think about both aspects of what was happening, the bad and the good. Furthermore the birds ominously swooping and snatching the seed would take their thought to Old Testament references which referred to birds acting as harbingers of evil (Gen 40:17; Gen 40:19; Jer 12:9; Eze 39:4), and to Jewish teaching where birds sometimes even indicated demons and Satan (compare Rev 18:2), and thorns and thistles would inevitably take their minds back to Gen 3:18; Pro 24:30-31; Isa 5:6; Isa 27:4; Jer 4:3; Jer 12:13. There would thus no doubt be many fervent discussions among them as to what it all meant, and we really cannot doubt that Jesus intended it to be so.
But hopefully the main point would finally come through to all, that what was sown was intended to produce fruitfulness, a message that they had already heard from John the Baptist (Mat 3:8; Mat 3:10; Mat 3:12).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 13:8. But other fell into good ground But another part, falling on good ground, bare fruit; one grain yielding an hundred, another sixty, another thirty. Prussian editors. See Gen 26:12. The fruitfulness of the seed which was sown on good ground, is not to be understood, says Macknight, of the field’s producing a hundred times as much as was sown on it; but it is to be understood of a single grain producing a hundred grains, which, it might easily do where it met with a good soil, and was properly nourished; but there are many accidents by which the produce of a field, so rich as to be capable of nourishing a hundred grains by a single root, is reduced within ordinary bounds. The parable mentions some of them; part of the seed is trodden down by passengers, or destroyed by the birds, part is starved in bad soil among rocks, and part is choked by weeds.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 13:8 . . . .] That grains are meant is self-evident, without our having to supply . For the great fertility of the East, and especially of Galilee, consult Wetstein on this passage. Dougtius, Anal . II. p. 15 f.; Kster, Erlut . p. 171; Keim, II. p. 448. However, such points of detail (comp. as to , Gen 26:12 ) should not be pressed, serving as they do merely to enliven and fill out the picture.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Ver. 8. See Trapp on “ Mat 13:5 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
8. ] = Luke. After . Mark inserts . Luke gives only .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 13:8 . , genuinely good land free from all the faults of the other three: soft, deep, clean. , yielded. In other texts (Mat 3:8 ; Mat 3:10 ; Mat 7:17 ) is used. , , : all satisfactory; 30 good, 60 better, 100 best (Gen 26:12 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
into = upon. Greek. epi. App-104.
good ground = the ground, the good [ground]. Good, because prepared.
brought forth. All the verbs are in past tenses.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
8.] = Luke. After . Mark inserts . Luke gives only .
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 13:8. , good) sc. soft, deep, clean (purgatam, i.e. cleared of stones, thorns, and weeds).[600]- – – , some-some-some) referring to , other, at the commencement of the same verse.
[600] Soft or friable, deep, and cleared of weeds and thorns, are respectively opposed to the hard stiff soil of the wayside, the shallow soil spread over the underlying rock, and the thorny ground.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
good: Mat 13:23, Luk 8:15, Rom 7:18
some an: Gen 26:12, Joh 15:8, Gal 5:22, Gal 5:23, Phi 1:11
Reciprocal: 2Sa 23:19 – he attained 1Ch 11:21 – howbeit Psa 85:12 – our land Isa 61:11 – as the earth Mat 19:29 – an Mar 4:8 – fell Luk 8:8 – other
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
PREACHER AND PEOPLE
Other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:8-9
Preacher and people should be reminded by this parable that there is such a thing as a good soil, and good results which follow on the right hearing of the word.
I. Good soil.Our Lord describes for us here the characteristics of good soil. He tells us what sort of man he is who profits by the Sunday sermon; the right hearer has an honest and good heart. This means that the man who has it is
(a) Receptive. It may be well that the soil of our heart has ceased to become honest and good because we have not kept it informed or receptive or interested in the highest things which form the object matter of our intelligence. It is a matter of supreme indifference to many men whether the Creed be maintained in its integrity or not.
(b) Retentive. But the man with an honest and good heart is also retentive. Having heard the word he keeps it. This is the trouble: how to keep what is heard in face of the birds, and the pressure of the rock, under the adverse growth of thorns which spoil the results. What am I to believe? you ask; who am I to follow? We know that there are certain standards by which we measure all things. Anything which is contrary to the Apostolic Creeds which we have received must be wrong, whoever says it. Anything which is contrary to the traditions and accepted utterances of the Church must be wrong.
(c) Patient. Our Lord spoke of patience as a requisite for fruit-bearing. There never was a time when the preacher needed more to urge patience in those who hear his sermons. It is a day of quick sowing and speedy results. Creeds multiply as fast as the magazines which exploit them, and still the old pulpit goes droning on. The preacher starts with the faith once for all delivered to the Saints, and he demands from you that you seek no other Gospel. It is the unchanging Gospel which needs patience. The system of God is a system which postulates patience.
II. A great responsibility.Take heed how ye hear. The responsibility of the preacher is immense, but there is a responsibility which rests with the hearer to offer that honest and good heart, to retain and develop with patience the seed which is to bear fruit unto everlasting life.
Canon Newbolt.
Illustration
There are four different kinds of hearers in the world,those like a sponge, that suck up good and bad together, and let both run out immediately; those like a sand-glass, that let what enters in at one ear pass out at the other, hearing without thinking; those like a strainer, letting go the good, and retaining the bad; and those like a sieve, letting go the chaff, and retaining the good grain.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
13:8
The good ground would be that where the three forementioned obstacles were not present. Yet with all that advantage it should be noted that the crop was not the same in every place as to the amount, which will be explained at verse 23.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
[And brought forth fruit, some a hundred, etc.] these words are spoken according to the fruitfulness of the land of Israel; concerning which the Talmudists speak much, and hyperbolically enough: which nevertheless they confess to be turned long since into miserable barrenness; but are dim-sighted as to the true cause of it.
They treat of this matter, and various stories are produced, which you may see: we will only mention these two: —
“R. Jochanan said, The worst fruit which we eat in our youth excelled the best which we now eat in our old age: for in his days the world was changed.”
“R. Chaijah Bar Ba said The Arbelite bushel formerly yielded a bushel of flour, a bushel of meal, a bushel of bran, and a bushel of coarse bran, and a bushel of coarser bran yet, and a bushel of the coarsest bran also: but now one bushel scarcely comes from one bushel.”
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Some seed also fell on good ground and produced a crop. Even a hundred-fold return was not outstanding. [Note: Carson, "Matthew," p. 305.] The same sower and seed produced no crop, some crop, or much crop depending on the soil.
"This fourth soil cautions us not to expect identical levels of fruitfulness in all people, since believers grow spiritually at different rates." [Note: Bailey, in The New . . ., p. 25.]
Jesus’ final statement means the parable needs careful consideration and interpretation (Mat 13:9). Jesus interpreted it to His disciples later in Mat 13:18-23. [Note: See idem, "The Parable of the Sower and the Soils," Bibliotheca Sacra 155:618 (April-June 1998):172-88.]