Matthew 13:9

George Lamsa Translation

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Let anyone who has ears

King James Version (1611)
Who hath eares to heare, let him heare.

King James Version
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

English Standard Version
He who has ears, let him hear."

New American Standard Bible
"The one who has ears, let him hear."

New Century Version
Let those with ears use them and listen."

Amplified Bible
"He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words."

Geneva Bible (1587)
He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He who has ears, let him hear."

Legacy Standard Bible
He who has ears, let him hear."

Berean Standard Bible
He who has ears, let him hear."

Contemporary English Version
If you have ears, pay attention!

Complete Jewish Bible
Those who have ears, let them hear!"

Darby Translation
He that has ears, let him hear.

Easy-to-Read Version
You people who hear me, listen!"

Good News Translation
And Jesus concluded, "Listen, then, if you have ears!"

Lexham English Bible
The one who has ears, let him hear!"

Literal Translation
The one having ears to hear, let him hear.

American Standard Version
He that hath ears, let him hear.

Bible in Basic English
He who has ears, let him give ear.

Hebrew Names Version
He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

International Standard Version
Let the person who has earsears to hear">[fn] listen!"Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Murdock Translation
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who hath eares to heare, let hym heare.

English Revised Version
He that hath ears, let him hear.

World English Bible
He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He that hath ears to hear let him hear.

Weymouth's New Testament
Listen, every one who has ears!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that hath eris of heryng, here he.

Update Bible Version
He that has ears, let him hear.

Webster's Bible Translation
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

New English Translation
The one who has ears had better listen!"

New King James Version
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

New Living Translation
Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."

New Life Bible
You have ears, then listen."

New Revised Standard
Let anyone with ears listen!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that hath ears, let him hear.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Revised Standard Version
He who has ears, let him hear."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Whosoever hath eares to heare let him heare.

Young's Literal Translation
He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so hath eares to heare, let hi heare.

Mace New Testament (1729)
he that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

THE MESSAGE
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
Is anyone here catchin' what I'm sayin'?"

Contextual Overview

¹ THAT same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside. ² And many people gathered around him, so that he had to go up and sit in a boat, and all the people stood on the seashore. ³ And he spoke many things to them in parables, and said, Behold the sower went out to sow; ⁴ And when he had sown, some seed fell on the roadside, and the fowls came and ate it. ⁵ Other fell upon the rock, where there was not sufficient soil; and it sprang up earlier because the ground was not deep enough; ⁶ But when the sun shone, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it dried up; ⁷ And other fell among thistles, and the thistles sprung up and choked it. ⁸ And other fell in good soil, and bore fruit, some one hundred, and some sixty, and some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰ Then his disciples drew near to him and said, Why do you speak to them in parables?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 13:16, Matthew 11:15, Mark 4:9, Mark 4:23, Mark 7:14-16, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 2:17, Revelation 2:29, Revelation 3:6, Revelation 3:13, Revelation 3:22, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 13:9

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 15:2 - Hear ye me 2 Chronicles 18:27 - Hearken 2 Chronicles 24:19 - but they would Psalms 49:1 - Hear Psalms 78:1 - General Proverbs 2:2 - thou Isaiah 18:3 - see ye Isaiah 32:9 - give ear Jeremiah 7:2 - Hear Ezekiel 3:27 - Thus Ezekiel 40:4 - behold Joel 1:2 - Hear Matthew 4:17 - kingdom Matthew 13:43 - Who Luke 8:8 - He that Luke 14:35 - He

Cross-References

Genesis 13:8
And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds; for we are brethren.

Genesis 13:12
Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the villages of the plain, thus possessing the land as far as Sodom.

Genesis 13:13
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners in the presence of the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:18
Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt by the oak of Mamre which is in Hebron, and built there an altar to the LORD

Genesis 20:15
Then Abimeleck said to Abraham, Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever you please.

Genesis 34:10
And dwell with us; behold, the land is before you; dwell and trade in it and inherit in it.

Psalms 120:7
I am for peace; but when I speak they fight with me.

Romans 12:18
If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.

1 Corinthians 6:7
Now therefore you are already at fault because you go to court one with another. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather let yourselves be defrauded?

Hebrews 12:14
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see our LORD.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Not externally only, but internally; he that has ears given him to hear, so as to understand, let him make use of them, and seriously consider of, and diligently attend to the use and importance of this parable. It is a way of speaking used by Christ, when anything of moment was delivered, and not so easy to be understood, on purpose to quicken the attention of his auditors, and stir up in them a desire of understanding what was said; which effect this had upon his disciples; see Mark 4:10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In parables - The word “parable” is derived from a Greek word signifying “to compare together,” and denotes a similitude taken from a natural object to illustrate a spiritual or moral subject. It is a narrative of some fictitious or real event, in order to illustrate more clearly some truth that the speaker wished to communicate. In early ages it was much used. Pagan writers, as Aesop, often employed it. In the time of Christ it was in common use. The prophets had used it, and Christ employed it often in teaching his disciples. It is not necessary to suppose that the narratives were strictly true. The main thing - “the inculcation of spiritual truth” - was gained equally, whether it was true or was only a supposed case. Nor was there any dishonesty in this. It was well understood no person was deceived. The speaker was not “understood” to affirm the thing “literally narrated,” but only to fix the attention more firmly on the moral truth that he presented. The “design” of speaking in parables was the following:

1. To convey truth in a more interesting manner to the mind, adding to the truth conveyed the beauty of a lovely image or narrative.
2. To teach spiritual truth so as to arrest the attention of ignorant people, making an appeal to them through the “senses.”
3. To convey some offensive truth, some pointed personal rebuke. in such a way as to bring it “home” to the conscience. Of this kind was the parable which Nathan delivered to David 2 Samuel 12:1-7, and many of our Saviour’s parables addressed to the Jews.
4. To “conceal” from one part of his audience truths which he intended others should understand. Thus Christ often, by this means, delivered truths to his disciples in the presence of the Jews, which he well knew the Jews would not understand; truths pertaining to them particularly, and which he was under no obligations to explain to the Jews. See Mark 4:33; Matthew 13:13-16.

Our Saviour’s parables are distinguished above all others for clearness, purity, chasteness, importance of instruction, and simplicity. They are taken mostly from the affairs of common life, and intelligible, therefore, to all people. They contain much of “himself” - his doctrine, life, design in coming, and claims, and are therefore of importance to all people; and they are told in a style of simplicity intelligible to the child, yet instructive to people of every rank and age. In his parables, as in all his instructions, he excelled all people in the purity, importance, and sublimity of his doctrine.

Matthew 13:3

A sower went forth to sow - The image here is taken from an employment known to all people, and therefore intelligible to all.

Nor can there be a more striking illustration of preaching the gospel than placing the seed in the ground, to spring up hereafter and bear fruit.

Sower - One who sows or scatters seed - a farmer. It is not improbable that one was near the Saviour when he spoke this parable.

Matthew 13:4

Some seeds fell by the way-side - That is, the hard “path” or headland, which the plow had not touched, and where there was no opportunity for it to sink into the earth.

Matthew 13:5

Stony places - Where there was little earth, but where it was hard and rocky, so that the roots could not strike down into the earth for sufficient moisture to support the plant.

When the sun became hot they of course withered away. They sprang up the sooner because there was little earth to cover them.

Forthwith - Immediately. Not that they sprouted and grew any quicker or faster than the others, but they were not so long in reaching the surface. Having little root, they soon withered away.

Matthew 13:7

Among thorns - That is, in a part of the field where the thorns and shrubs had been imperfectly cleared away and not destroyed.

They grew with the grain, crowded it, shaded it, exhausted the earth, and thus choked it.

Matthew 13:8

Into good ground - The fertile and rich soil.

In sowing, by far the largest proportion of seed will fall into the good soil; but Christ did not intend to teach that these proportions would be exactly the same among those who heard the gospel. Parables are designed to teach some “general” truth, and the circumstances should not be pressed too much in explaining them.

An hundred-fold ... - That is, a hundred, sixty, or thirty “grains” for each one that was sowed an increase by no means uncommon. Some grains of wheat will produce twelve or fifteen hundred grains. The usual proportion on a field sown, however, is not more than twenty, fifty, or sixty bushels for one.

Matthew 13:9

Who hath ears ... - This is a proverbial expression, implying that it was every man’s duty to pay attention to what was spoken, Matthew 11:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 13:9. Who hath ears to hear, &c.] Let every person who feels the necessity of being instructed in the things which concern his soul's welfare pay attention to what is spoken, and he shall become wise unto salvation.