Luke 8:13

Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.

BSB

The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

KJV

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

ASV

And those on the rock [are] they who, when they have heard, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

BBE

And those on the rock are those who with joy give hearing to the word; but having no root, they have faith for a time, and when the test comes they give up.

Original Greek

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οἱ hoi Those G3588 δὲ de now G1161 ἐπὶ epi upon G1909 τῆς tēs the G3588 πέτρας petras rock G4073 οἳ hoi those who G3739 ὅταν hotan when G3752 ἀκούσωσιν akousōsin they may hear G191 μετὰ meta with G3326 χαρᾶς charas joy G5479 δέχονται dechontai receive G1209 τὸν ton the G3588 λόγον logon word G3056 καὶ kai and G2532 οὗτοι houtoi these G3778 ῥίζαν rhizan a root G4491 οὐκ ouk not G3756 ἔχουσιν echousin have G2192 οἳ hoi who G3739 πρὸς pros for G4314 καιρὸν kairon a time G2540 πιστεύουσιν pisteuousin believe G4100 καὶ kai and G2532 ἐν en in G1722 καιρῷ kairō time G2540 πειρασμοῦ peirasmou of testing G3986 ἀφίστανται aphistantai fall away G868

The early church

All 6

But some there are who having not received the word in any depth of heart, are soon overcome when adversity assails them, of whom it is added, They on the rock are they which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Eusebius of Caesarea · d. 339Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

For when they enter the Church they gladly wait on the divine mysteries, but with infirmity of purpose. But when they leave the Church they forget the sacred discipline, and as long as Christians are undisturbed, their faith is lasting; but when persecution harasses, their heart fails them, for their faith was without root.

Cyril of Alexandria · d. 444Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

(ubi sup.) Many men propose to begin a good work, but as soon as they have become annoyed by adversity or temptation, they abandon what they had begun. The rocky ground then had no moisture to carry on to constancy fruit which it had put forth.

Gregory the Dialogist · d. 604Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

The rock, he says, is the hard and unsubdued heart. Now the moisture at the root of the seed is the same as what is called in another parable, the oil to trim the lamps of the virgins, that is, love and stedfastness in virtue. (Matt. 25.)

Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Now these things were foretold by our Saviour according to His foreknowledge, and that their case is so, experience testifies. For in no wise do men fall away from the truth of divine worship, but according to some of the causes before mentioned by Him.

Eusebius of Caesarea · d. 339Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 4–21

There are many very needful and excellent rules and cautions for hearing the word, in the parable of the sower, and the application of it. Happy are we, and for ever indebted to free grace, if the same thing that is a parable to others, with which they are only amused, is a plain truth to us, by which we are taught and governed. We ought to take heed of the things that will hinder our profiting by the word we hear; to take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly, lest we entertain prejudices against the word we hear; and to take heed to our spirits after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained. The gifts we have, will be continued to us or not, as we use them for the glory of God, and the good of our brethren. Nor is it enough not to hold the truth in unrighteousness; we should desire to hold forth the word of life, and to shine, giving light to all around. Great encouragement is given to those who prove themselves faithful hearers of the word, by being doers of the work. Christ owns them as his relations.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 8 →

Parallel passages

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 13:20–21 Mark 4:16–17

Cross-references

Topics

Faith Temptation Apostasy Affections Instability

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.