Matthew 13:30 kjv
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:30 nkjv
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "
Matthew 13:30 niv
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'?"
Matthew 13:30 esv
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
Matthew 13:30 nlt
Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.'"
Matthew 13 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 13:39 | The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. | Explains harvest and reapers. |
| Matt 13:40-42 | As the weeds are gathered... so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels... throw them into the fiery furnace. | Details the judgment of the wicked. |
| Matt 13:49-50 | So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come... throw the wicked into the fiery furnace... | Reaffirms angelic separation and judgment. |
| Matt 25:31-33 | When the Son of Man comes... He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. | Describes Christ's judgment and separation. |
| Matt 25:41 | Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ | Defines the fate of the wicked. |
| Matt 25:46 | And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. | States eternal destiny for both. |
| Jer 51:33 | For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come. | Uses harvest as a metaphor for judgment. |
| Hos 6:11 | For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore the fortunes of My people. | Harvest as judgment/restoration. |
| Joel 3:13 | Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe... their wickedness is great. | Harvest imagery for divine judgment. |
| Rev 14:15-19 | Then another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” | Apocalyptic harvest of the wicked. |
| Job 4:8 | As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. | Reaping what is sown. |
| Ps 92:7 | When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all who do iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever. | Coexistence prior to ultimate destruction. |
| Eccl 3:17 | God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. | Emphasizes God's timing for judgment. |
| Rom 2:6 | He will render to each one according to his works. | God's righteous judgment based on deeds. |
| Rom 9:22-23 | What if God, desiring to show His wrath... endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction...? | God's patience before judgment. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish. | God's patience for repentance before judgment. |
| Heb 9:27 | And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. | Confirms appointed time for judgment. |
| Jude 1:14-15 | Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly. | Christ's return for judgment. |
| 1 Cor 4:5 | Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes... | Warns against premature human judgment. |
| 2 Tim 4:1 | I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead. | Christ as the ultimate judge. |
| Deut 32:35 | Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; in due time their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand... | Vengeance and judgment belong to God. |
| Prov 22:8 | Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. | Direct consequence of sowing evil. |
Matthew 13 verses
Matthew 13 30 Meaning
This verse from the parable of the Tares (Weeds) explains God's decree regarding the coexistence of true believers (wheat) and false believers/evil ones (weeds) in the world until a divinely appointed time of judgment. It conveys that human beings should not prematurely attempt to purge evil from among the good, as doing so might harm the good. Instead, both are permitted to grow side by side until the harvest, which represents the end of the age. At that time, God, through His angelic reapers, will orchestrate a perfect and irreversible separation: the weeds will be gathered and destroyed by fire, while the wheat will be gathered safely into His barn, signifying salvation and eternal security.
Matthew 13 30 Context
Matthew chapter 13 is often called the "parables chapter," as it contains seven parables illustrating various aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven. The parable of the Wheat and the Tares (vv. 24-30) is presented by Jesus immediately after the Parable of the Sower. It addresses the presence of evil within the "field" (the world, as explained in v. 38) where God has sown good seed (sons of the kingdom). The disciples ask for clarification on this parable later in the chapter (vv. 36-43), and Jesus provides the interpretation. This parable was critical for the early Church, which existed in a hostile world and saw both true and false disciples within its ranks. It discourages immediate, forceful purging of those deemed "unworthy" or "evil" by humans, stressing God's patience and ultimate, precise judgment at the end of the age. The historical and cultural context included the common practice of agriculture, making the harvest imagery relatable. It also implicitly corrected any contemporary Jewish expectations of an immediate, political kingdom where all evil would be instantly eradicated, emphasizing a spiritual kingdom that would tolerate evil for a period before divine intervention.
Matthew 13 30 Word analysis
- Let (ἄφετε - aphete): Imperative verb meaning "permit," "allow," or "leave." It conveys a command for human beings not to intervene in God's plan for the separation. It implies a divine forbearance and patience.
- both (ἄμφω - amphō): Refers specifically to both the "wheat" (sons of the kingdom) and the "weeds" (sons of the evil one). This emphasizes the indiscriminate co-growth in the initial phase.
- grow together (αὐξανέσθωσαν - auxanesthōsan): From auxanō, meaning "to grow, increase." This word highlights the natural process of growth permitted by God, acknowledging that both good and evil will develop side by side in the world.
- until (ἕως - heōs): A temporal conjunction, denoting a fixed point in time. It establishes a specific, pre-ordained limit to the period of co-existence, indicating God's appointed timing.
- the harvest (τοῦ θερισμοῦ - tou therismou): From therismos, meaning "harvest, reaping." In biblical imagery, harvest often symbolizes a time of decisive judgment, when outcomes are finalized and separation occurs. (See also Joel 3:13).
- and in the time of harvest (καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ - kai en kairō tou therismou): Kairō (time) signifies a definite, appointed, and opportune moment, rather than just chronological time (chronos). It is God's perfect moment for final judgment.
- I will say (ἐρῶ - erō): From legō, meaning "to speak, say." This is Jesus (God the Son) speaking, asserting His ultimate authority in initiating and directing the final separation and judgment.
- to the reapers (τοῖς θερισταῖς - tois theristais): From theristēs, meaning "reaper, harvest worker." Matthew 13:39 clearly identifies these reapers as angels, highlighting divine, not human, execution of final judgment.
- First (πρῶτον - prōton): Indicates a divinely ordered sequence of events. The destructive removal of the wicked precedes the blessed gathering of the righteous.
- gather (συναγάγετε - synagagete): An imperative, meaning "collect, bring together." Used twice in this verse, signifying careful and thorough collection of both the weeds for destruction and the wheat for storage.
- the weeds (τὰ ζιζάνια - ta zizania): Greek zizanion, specifically refers to darnel, a common weed that looks identical to wheat in its early stages but can be poisonous. This underscores the difficulty for humans to discern and separate prematurely.
- and bind them in bundles (καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ δέσμας - kai dēsate auta desmas): Dēsate (bind) from deō, meaning "to tie"; desmas (bundles) from desmē, meaning "bundle, sheaf." This implies preparation for removal, making them ready for burning and preventing them from harming the wheat during harvesting.
- to burn them (εἰς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά - eis to katakausai auta): Katakarauō means "to burn up completely." This signifies the complete and utter destruction awaiting those who are children of the evil one. It refers to eternal punishment (Matt 13:42).
- but gather the wheat (τὸν δὲ σῖτον συναγάγετε - ton de siton synagagete): Sitos means "grain, corn, wheat." This is the counterpoint, the blessed portion.
- into my barn (εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου - eis tēn apothēkēn mou): Apothēkē means "storehouse, barn." This represents a place of safety, security, and eternal blessing for the righteous, signifying entry into the full blessings of God's Kingdom.
Matthew 13 30 Bonus section
This verse offers critical theological implications. It instructs against triumphalism that seeks to forcibly create a "pure" society or church by human means, cautioning against impatience and self-appointed judgment. It highlights God's attribute of forbearance (μακροθυμία - makrothymia) even towards the ungodly, allowing for the opportunity of repentance (Rom 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9), though the "weeds" are ultimately defined by their nature from the "evil one" (Matt 13:38). Furthermore, it implicitly affirms the sovereignty of God over historical time, demonstrating that He has a planned trajectory for creation, culminating in a definitive judgment. The precision of the separation, reserved for angels at the final judgment, underscores the incomprehensibility of true spiritual discernment for humans, especially concerning the heart's condition.
Matthew 13 30 Commentary
Matthew 13:30 reveals a profound aspect of God's sovereign wisdom concerning the coexistence of good and evil within the world. It teaches divine patience, not human passivity. God defers the judgment of the wicked, not because He is unaware or uncaring, but because He operates on a different timetable, waiting for the full measure of His purposes to be accomplished, including the salvation of His elect and the maturation of both "wheat" and "weeds."
The parable explicitly limits human involvement in purging evil, stating, "Let both grow together until the harvest." This prevents zealous but fallible humans from inadvertently harming genuine believers who might be mistakenly identified as wicked in their early stages or caught in an indiscriminate purge. It guards against a premature, imperfect, and perhaps even destructive "clean-up" of the world or the professing church.
The responsibility for final separation belongs solely to God. The "time of harvest" signifies the end of the age, Christ's return, when His angels, serving as divine reapers, will execute precise and infallible judgment. This process is characterized by a distinct sequence: the wicked (weeds) are gathered first for destruction by fire, symbolizing eternal damnation. Subsequently, the righteous (wheat) are gathered into God's "barn," representing eternal security and entry into His glorious presence. This order ensures that God's justice is fully satisfied and His people are fully protected and brought to their final destination. The imagery powerfully underscores that ultimate vindication and purification will occur, but strictly at God's appointed time and through His perfect agency.