Matthew 13:38
in Matthew 13The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
KJV
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
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This verse in Matthew 13
Commentary
13 notes on this verseThe field is the world, which he himself created; hence above he said, in his field; John 1:11: he came unto his own, etc. Likewise ibid.: the world was made by him. And the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom, from whom …
This site's exposition
the good seed are the children of the kingdom
on Matthew 13:38-39
The field is the world sets the parable's scope wider than the visible church, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom stands opposite the tares, the children of the wicked one, planted by an enemy the text names plainly, the enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angels fixes the timing of the separation to come, not to the church's own present discipline, which chapter 18 will address on its own separate terms.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
(cont. Faust. xviii. 7.) The tares the Lord expounds to mean, not as Manichæus interprets, certain spurious parts inserted among the true Scriptures, but all the children of the Evil one, that is, the imitators of the fraud of the Devil. As it follows, The tares are the children of the evil one, by whom He would have us understand all the wicked and impious.
That is, the saints, and elect men, who are counted as sons.
The field is the world. Seeing it is He that sows His own field, it is plain that this present world is His. It follows, The good seed are the children of the kingdom.
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 47 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
"And He answered," so it is said, "and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that soweth them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." For whereas He Himself is the sower, and that of His own field, and out of His own kingdom He gathers, it is quite clear that the present world also is His. But mark His unspeakable love to man, and His leaning to bounty, and His disinclination to punishment; in that, when He sows, He sows in His own person, but when He punishes, it is by others, that is, by the angels.
(Verse 37 onwards) And he answered, saying: The one who sows good seed is the Son of Man. But the field is the world. And the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age. And the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
6 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
What needed to be said has been said above. We said that He is speaking here of the heresies which are permitted to exist until the end of the world. For if we were to slay the heretics and cut them down, there would be …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The field is the world,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
The parable of the wheat and tares, which occupies the chief part of these verses, is one of peculiar importance in the present day. It is eminently calculated to correct the extravagant expectations in which many Christians indulge as to the effect of missions abroad, and of preaching the Gospel at home. May we give it the attention which it deserves! In the first place, this parable teaches us that good and evil will always be found together in the professing church, until the end of the world.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The tares are the children of the wicked one--As this sowing could only be "while men slept," no blame seems intended, and certainly none is charged upon "the servants"; it is probably just the dress of the parable.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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 tares of the field, &c.--In the parable of the Sower, "the seed is the word of God" (Lu 8:11).
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:86%@v35-37
The parable of the wheat and tares, which occupies the chief part of these verses, is one of peculiar importance in the present day. It is eminently calculated to correct the extravagant expectations in which many Christians indulge as to the effect of missions abroad, and of preaching the Gospel at home. May we give it the attention which it deserves! In the first place, this parable teaches us that good and evil will always be found together in the professing church, until the end of the world. The visible church is set before us as a mixed body: it is a vast “field” in which “wheat” and “tares” grow side by side. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted, “the children of the kingdom” and “the children of the wicked one”all mingled together in every congregation of baptized people. The purest preaching of the Gospel will not prevent this. In every age of the church the same state of things has existed: it was the experience of the early Fathers; it was the experience of the Reformers; it is the experience of the best ministers at the present hour. There has never been a visible church or a religious assembly of which the members have all been “wheat.” The devil, that great enemy of souls, has always taken care to sow “tares.” The most strict and prudent discipline will not prevent this: Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Independents all alike find it to be so. Do what we will to purify a church, we shall never succeed in obtaining a perfectly pure communion: tares will be found among the wheat; hypocrites and deceivers will creep in; and worst of all, if we are extreme in our efforts to obtain purity we do more harm than good: we run the risk of encouraging many a Judas Iscariot, and breaking many a bruised reed. In our zeal to gather up the tares, we are in danger of rooting up the wheat with them.
The words behind it
24 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | and | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἀγρός | agros | the field | G68 → | 35 times |
| ἐστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κόσμος· | kosmos | world; | G2889 → | 185 times |
| τὸ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | and | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| καλὸν | kalon | [the] good | G2570 → | 101 times |
| σπέρμα, | sperma | seed, | G4690 → | 43 times |
| οὗτοί | houtoi | these | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| εἰσιν | eisin | are | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱοὶ | huioi | sons | G5207 → | 377 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| βασιλείας· | basileias | kingdom; | G932 → | 162 times |
| τὰ | ta | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | and | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ζιζάνιά | zizania | the weeds | G2215 → | 8 times |
| εἰσιν | eisin | are | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱοὶ | huioi | sons | G5207 → | 377 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πονηροῦ· | ponerou | evil [one]; | G4190 → | 78 times |
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
δὲand
deG1161 →2765 times
ἀγρόςthe field
agrosG68 →35 times
ἐστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
κόσμος·world;
kosmosG2889 →185 times
τὸ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
δὲand
deG1161 →2765 times
καλὸν[the] good
kalonG2570 →101 times
σπέρμα,seed,
spermaG4690 →43 times
οὗτοίthese
houtoiG3778 →1381 times
εἰσινare
eisinG1510 →2333 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
υἱοὶsons
huioiG5207 →377 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
βασιλείας·kingdom;
basileiasG932 →162 times
τὰ<the>
taG3588 →19766 times
δὲand
deG1161 →2765 times
ζιζάνιάthe weeds
zizaniaG2215 →8 times
εἰσινare
eisinG1510 →2333 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
υἱοὶsons
huioiG5207 →377 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
πονηροῦ·evil [one];
ponerouG4190 →78 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him.…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 13:10
and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
- 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- 1 John 3:8–10
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the…
- Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
Through
1 Peter 1:23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- John 1:13
children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
- 1 Peter 1:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 47; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Remigius of Rheims, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.