Luke 13:19 kjv

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

Luke 13:19 nkjv

It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

Luke 13:19 niv

It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches."

Luke 13:19 esv

It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."

Luke 13:19 nlt

It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches."

Luke 13 verses

Luke 13 19 Meaning

Luke 13:19 describes the Kingdom of God as initially appearing insignificant, like a tiny mustard seed, but possessing an inherent, powerful capacity for vast and encompassing growth. It illustrates the paradoxical nature of God's redemptive work, beginning humbly but culminating in an expansive dominion that offers refuge and spiritual sustenance to all peoples.

Luke 13 19 Context

Luke 13:19 is one of two short parables—the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven (Luke 13:20-21)—that Jesus shares consecutively, both illustrating aspects of the Kingdom of God. These parables follow Jesus' earlier teaching on the need for repentance (Luke 13:1-5) and His parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9), emphasizing urgency and divine patience. Immediately preceding the parables is the account of Jesus healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17), where Jesus defends his act by asserting the priority of compassion over rigid legalism, aligning with the "upside-down" values of the Kingdom.

The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven serve to temper any disappointment or misunderstanding about the Kingdom's immediate visible impact. For a people often expecting a glorious, earthly messianic kingdom to overtly manifest power and deliver them from Roman occupation, Jesus' teaching highlights the Kingdom's unconventional beginning. It's a Kingdom that operates through subtle, internal, organic growth, initially unnoticed or underestimated, but possessing a divine dynamism that ensures its eventual, comprehensive expansion. The "garden" setting in Luke may subtly emphasize cultivation or the individual space where the Kingdom takes root.

Luke 13 19 Word analysis

• It is like (ὅμοιόν ἐστιν - homoion estin): Introduces a simile, indicating a comparison. The Kingdom of God shares characteristics with the analogy, but is not literally a seed or tree.
• a mustard seed (κόκκῳ σινάπεως - kokkō sinapēōs): A kokkos is a grain or kernel, specifically sinapēōs refers to mustard. Proverbially the smallest common seed, highlighting the humble and seemingly insignificant beginning of God's Kingdom. This emphasizes its hidden potential rather than initial grandeur.
• that a man took (ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος - hon labōn anthrōpos): Implies an intentional, deliberate act of sowing. The "man" represents God acting through Christ to initiate and spread the Kingdom.
• and sowed (ἔβαλεν - ebalen): The act of planting, establishing the Kingdom in the world. It suggests divine agency in its origin.
• in his garden (εἰς κῆπον ἑαυτοῦ - eis kēpon heautou): Luke uniquely uses "garden" instead of "field" (Matt 13:31, Mark 4:32). A garden implies a cultivated, often personal space, perhaps signifying careful tending or the particular soil where the Kingdom is planted (e.g., individual hearts, specific communities).
• and it grew (καὶ ηὔξησεν - kai ēuxēsen): Emphasizes organic, intrinsic growth. The verb auxanō suggests natural, unhindered expansion powered from within. This is God's work, ensuring increase.
• and became (καὶ ἐγένετο - kai egeneto): Signifies a transformation or coming into being.
• a large tree (εἰς δένδρον μέγα - eis dendron mega): Dendron is a tree, and mega means large. This is hyperbole as a mustard plant is technically a large shrub, but Jesus uses the imagery to underscore the immense and astonishing scale of its final development. This highlights the widespread, encompassing nature of the mature Kingdom.
• and the birds of the air (καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ - kai ta peteina tou ouranou): Birds here symbolize people from all nations and ethnic groups. In Old Testament imagery (e.g., Ezek 17:23; 31:6), birds nesting in mighty trees often represent diverse nations seeking refuge and finding shelter within a great kingdom or power.
• nested (κατεσκήνωσεν - kateskēnōsen): Means to settle down, make a dwelling, or find refuge. This portrays the Kingdom as a place of rest, protection, and belonging.
• in its branches (ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ - en tois kladois autou): The various parts of the expanding Kingdom offer support and shelter, symbolizing the welcoming embrace and provision it offers to all who enter.

Luke 13 19 Bonus section

• The parable addresses a significant theological tension for its original Jewish audience, who anticipated a glorious, external manifestation of God's Kingdom, likely with military might to oust Roman occupiers. Jesus redefined this expectation, revealing a Kingdom that works from humble, internal beginnings.
• The use of "garden" by Luke (rather than "field" as in Matthew and Mark) subtly hints at the intentional, cultivated aspect of the Kingdom, potentially emphasizing its growth within specific communities or even the human heart.
• Though "tree" is hyperbole for a mustard plant, it functions poetically to convey the scale of growth, challenging the hearers' literal expectations and drawing a powerful contrast between initial perception and ultimate reality.
• The parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven together illustrate both outward, visible expansion and inward, permeating transformation, both characteristic of the Kingdom of God.

Luke 13 19 Commentary

Luke 13:19 powerfully portrays the reality of God's Kingdom as contrary to worldly expectations. While kingdoms of this world often rise with visible power and might, the Kingdom of God, ushered in by Jesus Christ, began in humility: a birth in a stable, a carpenter from Nazareth, and a ministry rooted among the poor and marginalized. Yet, like the insignificant mustard seed that contains the blueprint for substantial growth, this Kingdom possessed inherent divine life and expansion. Its growth is not merely additive, but exponential and transformative. The transition from "seed" to "large tree" signifies the astonishing breadth and scope the Kingdom would ultimately attain. The image of "birds of the air" nesting in its branches speaks to the Kingdom's inclusive nature and universal reach, welcoming and providing refuge for people from all walks of life, from every nation and tribe, under the shade and provision of God's sovereign rule. It's a kingdom built not by human force, but by divine design and intrinsic spiritual power, growing inexorably to encompass all who seek shelter within it.