Luke 8:7 kjv
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luke 8:7 nkjv
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
Luke 8:7 niv
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Luke 8:7 esv
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.
Luke 8:7 nlt
Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.
Luke 8 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 8:14 | "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity." | Jesus' interpretation of the thorny ground. |
| Mk 4:7 | "Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain." | Parallel account of the thorny ground. |
| Mk 4:18-19 | "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." | Further explanation of the thorny ground. |
| Matt 13:7 | "Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them." | Parallel account. |
| Matt 13:22 | "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful." | Further explanation. |
| Gen 3:17-18 | "...cursed is the ground for your sake... Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you..." | Thorns symbolize the curse and hardship after the Fall. |
| Heb 6:7-8 | "For land that has drunk the rain... and bears thorns and thistles, is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned." | Thorns as a sign of worthlessness leading to judgment. |
| Jer 4:3-4 | "...Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns." | Warning against unfruitful spiritual preparation. |
| Hos 10:12 | "...for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity..." | Call to spiritual sowing; warnings against evil sowing. |
| Lk 10:41-42 | "And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed...'" | Illustrates distraction by worldly cares. |
| 1 Tim 6:9-10 | "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." | Warning against deceitfulness of riches. |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." | Competing allegiances that choke devotion. |
| Matt 6:25 | "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life..." | Admonition against anxieties that distract. |
| Lk 12:15-21 | "And He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.'" | Parable of the rich fool, illustrating danger of material focus. |
| Phil 4:6-7 | "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..." | Overcoming anxieties that can choke the Word. |
| Prov 24:30-34 | "I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns..." | Consequences of neglect and lack of spiritual diligence. |
| Isa 55:10-11 | "For as the rain comes down... So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please..." | God's Word is powerful, but reception matters for fruit. |
| Jas 1:21-25 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | The need to obey and not just hear the Word. |
| Eph 4:22 | "...put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts..." | Warnings against destructive lusts and desires. |
| Col 3:5 | "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." | Identifying earthly things that must be overcome. |
| 2 Pet 1:5-8 | "...add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge... For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." | Conditions for fruitfulness and avoiding unfruitfulness. |
| Jn 15:5-6 | "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing... if anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered..." | Emphasis on abiding for spiritual fruit. |
Luke 8 verses
Luke 8 7 Meaning
This verse describes a specific outcome within the Parable of the Sower, where the seed, representing the Word of God, lands in challenging ground. When the seed falls among thorns, it initially germinates, but the pre-existing and concurrently growing thorny plants overwhelm it. These thorns consume the available light, water, and nutrients, effectively suffocating the tender crop and preventing it from maturing and bearing fruit. Spiritually, it signifies the reception of God's Word, which is then choked by worldly cares, riches, and pleasures, leading to spiritual unfruitfulness.
Luke 8 7 Context
Luke 8:7 is a critical component of the Parable of the Sower, recounted by Jesus to a large crowd and later explained privately to His disciples (Lk 8:4-15). This parable uses familiar agricultural imagery—seed, sower, various types of soil—to illustrate different ways people respond to the Word of God. The immediate verses preceding it introduce the sower going out to sow (Lk 8:5-6), with the seed falling on four distinct types of ground: beside the road, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil. Verse 7 specifically details the fate of the seed in the third type of ground. Historically and culturally, in ancient Israel, agriculture was the backbone of society, and everyone understood the challenges of cultivating land, including the persistent problem of weeds and thorns. This made the parable highly relatable and its spiritual implications starkly clear to Jesus' original audience, emphasizing that hearing the Word is not enough; its effectiveness depends on the spiritual condition of the heart, representing different forms of spiritual receptivity or lack thereof.
Luke 8 7 Word analysis
- And: (Greek: καὶ, kai) A conjunction connecting this scenario to the preceding descriptions of the seed falling on other types of ground. It signifies a continuation of the parable's diverse outcomes.
- some fell: (Greek: τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν, to de heteron epesen) Refers to a portion of the seed. It indicates the indiscriminate nature of the sowing – the Word is broadly disseminated, not selectively given only to certain prepared individuals. "Fell" implies the action of being sown and landing in that specific location.
- among thorns: (Greek: εἰς μέσον ἀκανθῶν, eis meson akanthōn) This specifies the hostile environment. Akanthōn refers to thorny plants, briers, or thistles. In the biblical narrative, thorns are often symbolic of the curse on creation after the Fall (Gen 3:18) and represent that which chokes life and fruitfulness. Their presence here indicates ground that has been neglected or poorly prepared, where aggressive weeds already thrive.
- and the thorns: (Greek: καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι, kai symphyeisai hai akanthai) Here, "and" introduces the consequence of the seed's placement. The word symphyeisai is particularly significant. It means "to grow together with," "to spring up along with," or "to be co-germinated with." It implies that the thorns were either already present or began to sprout concurrently with the seed, indicating a competing and intertwined growth.
- sprang up with it: See symphyeisai above. This phrase vividly portrays the competition for resources (light, water, nutrients). The thorns are not just bystanders; they are actively growing alongside and around the fledgling plants from the seed.
- and choked it: (Greek: καὶ ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό, kai apepnixan auto) The culmination of the thorns' growth. Apepnixan means "to stifle," "to suffocate," or "to choke completely." This action demonstrates the thorns' victory over the developing plant, resulting in its death or extreme inhibition of growth, thus preventing fruit production. The "it" refers to the young plant from the good seed.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- some fell among thorns: This highlights the dangerous spiritual ground. The seed, the Word, lands where potential dangers already exist or are deeply rooted. It's a soil type characterized by competing priorities that are more robust or deeply established than the newly sprouted Word.
- and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it: This describes the mechanism of failure. The thorns don't merely surround; they grow alongside and eventually overpower. This illustrates the insidious and consuming nature of worldly distractions—they grow with the spiritual desire but ultimately strangle it by drawing away necessary life-support (time, energy, focus, devotion) from the Word. The result is unfruitfulness.
Luke 8 7 Bonus section
The imagery of "thorns" resonates deeply throughout biblical thought, often symbolizing struggle, difficulty, sin, or God's curse. The ground producing thorns and thistles after the Fall (Gen 3:18) signified a life of toil and futility apart from God's blessing. This spiritual parallel underscores that uncultivated ground naturally yields hindrances. Thorns are aggressive, their root systems expansive, and they thrive on neglect, making them difficult to eradicate once established. This highlights the ongoing battle believers face in maintaining spiritual health; it's not a one-time clearing but continuous diligence to weed out the preoccupations that steal life from the Word. Unlike the shallow, rocky ground where the seed quickly withered due to lack of depth, here the choking implies a sustained, competing presence. The seed did spring up, suggesting an initial acceptance and growth of faith, but it was gradually stifled. This warns against complacency and emphasizes the need for continuous nurturing of the spiritual seed through prayer, study, community, and active obedience, consciously de-prioritizing worldly anxieties and pursuits.
Luke 8 7 Commentary
Luke 8:7 reveals the peril of a heart preoccupied with the world, even if it initially receives the Word of God. The "thorns" represent the "cares, riches, and pleasures of life," as Jesus explains (Lk 8:14). These are not inherently evil in themselves (except for sinful pleasures), but their excessive pursuit and attachment create an environment hostile to spiritual growth. They choke the Word by competing for one's focus, energy, and resources. Like weeds that thrive at the expense of crops, anxieties, the pursuit of wealth, and various worldly desires—even legitimate ones—can overshadow, drain, and eventually suffocate spiritual life, preventing the Word from taking root deeply enough to bear fruit. This does not imply intentional rejection of God but rather a passive succumbing to competing loyalties, resulting in spiritual barrenness. It's a stern warning about the necessity of cultivating one's inner ground, removing the "thorns" that would render the Word ineffective.
- Examples: A person may genuinely accept Christ, but constantly worries about their job security to the extent it consumes their prayer time; or someone might pursue financial success so ardently that fellowship, scripture reading, and service become secondary and eventually neglected; or an individual may indulge in entertainment and fleeting pleasures that consume all leisure time, leaving no space for spiritual reflection or growth.