When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
the word.
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luke 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
and understandeth.
Proverbs 1:7,20-22 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction…
Proverbs 2:1-6 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; …
Proverbs 17:16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?
the wicked.
Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
This.
Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
but does not understand it
Understanding here implies more than intellectual comprehension; it involves spiritual insight and acceptance. The lack of understanding can be attributed to a hardened heart or spiritual blindness, which prevents the message from taking root. This concept is echoed in Isaiah 6:9-10, where the prophet speaks of people who hear but do not understand, a passage Jesus references in Matthew 13:14-15 to explain why He speaks in parables.
the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart
The "evil one" is a reference to Satan, who actively works to prevent the Word of God from taking root in people's hearts. This imagery of snatching away seeds reflects the spiritual battle that occurs when the gospel is preached. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is described as a prowling lion seeking to devour, highlighting his role in opposing God's work. The heart, in biblical terms, is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions, and is the place where the Word must take root for true transformation.
This is the seed sown along the path
The "seed sown along the path" represents those who hear the Word but are unresponsive due to a hardened heart. The path is a metaphor for a heart that is trampled and compacted, unable to receive the seed. In the agricultural context of first-century Palestine, paths were common in fields, and seeds falling on them would be quickly eaten by birds or trampled underfoot. This illustrates the vulnerability of the Word when it is not protected by understanding and faith. The parable of the sower, in which this verse is found, serves as a warning and an encouragement to cultivate a receptive heart for the Word of God.
“When anyone hears the message of the kingdom…” (Matthew 13:19a)
• Jesus proclaims a clear, life-changing announcement: God’s reign is here through Him (Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43).
• Hearing is the first step; faith is birthed by hearing the word about Christ (Romans 10:17).
• God graciously plants truth in every listener’s heart (Isaiah 55:10-11; 1 Peter 1:23).
“…but does not understand it…” (Matthew 13:19b)
• “Understand” speaks of grasping truth so that it moves from the ear to the will (Acts 16:14).
• Spiritual blindness keeps many from perceiving the gospel’s beauty (1 Corinthians 2:14; Acts 28:26-27).
• Hardness may spring from pride, worldly cares, or indifference (James 1:22-24; Hebrews 3:12-13).
“…the evil one comes…” (Matthew 13:19c)
• Scripture shows Satan actively opposing God’s word (Job 1:9-12; Zechariah 3:1).
• He prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
• His strategies include deception (John 8:44) and distraction (2 Corinthians 11:3).
“…and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” (Matthew 13:19d)
• The seed is genuine, yet Satan steals it before roots form (Luke 8:12).
• Common thefts:
– Doubts raised against Christ’s authority (Genesis 3:1).
– Temptations that promise quick pleasure (James 1:14-15).
– Worldly philosophies that sound wise but deny truth (Colossians 2:8).
• Spiritual armor guards the heart against these assaults (Ephesians 6:11-17).
“This is the seed sown along the path.” (Matthew 13:19e)
• A path is trampled ground—hard, unreceptive, exposed (Mark 4:15).
• Listeners with path-like hearts may:
– Treat the gospel as mere information, not revelation.
– Resist conviction, preferring familiar patterns (John 3:19-20).
• God still calls us to sow widely; even hardened soil can be broken by His grace (Ezekiel 36:26).
Matthew 13:19 pictures the first soil in Jesus’ parable: people who hear the gospel yet leave it unpondered and unaccepted. Because truth remains on the surface, Satan swiftly removes it, preventing faith from sprouting. The verse urges us to cultivate receptive hearts—letting the word sink in, seeking understanding, and standing alert against the enemy—so the seed of the kingdom can take root and bear lasting fruit.
(19) When any one heareth the word.--The explanation has become so familiar to us that it is hard to place ourselves in the position of those to whom it was the unveiling of new truths--the holding up a mirror in which they might see, it might be, their own likeness. Our interest in it may, perhaps, be quickened if we think of it as reflecting what had actually been our Lord's experience. The classes of hearers who had gathered round Him were represented, roughly and generally, by the four issues of the seed scattered by the sower, and all preachers of the truth, from that day to this, have felt that their own experience has presented analogous phenomena.The ethical sequence described runs thus: The man hears "the word of the kingdom," a discourse, say, like the Sermon on the Mount, or that at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). He does not "understand" it (the fault being moral rather than intellectual), does not attend to it or "take it in." The "wicked one" (note the connection with the clause in the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil," or the evil one) snatches it away even from his memory. At first it seems strange that "the birds of the air" in their multitude should represent the Tempter in his unity; and yet there is a terrible truth in the fact that everything which leads men to forget the truth is, in very deed, doing the work of the great enemy. On the other hand, the birds, in their rapid flight and their gathering flocks, may well represent the light and foolish thoughts that are as the Tempter's instruments. The "way-side" thus answers to the character, which is hardened by the wear and tear of daily life, what we well call its routine, so that the words of Truth make hardly even the most transient impression on it.
This is he which received seed.--Our translators try, unsuccessfully, to combine the parable with its interpretation. Literally, and far better, here and in the following verses, this man it is that is (the seed) sown by the way side.
Verse 19. - When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not. Understandeth. The form of the explanation here is influenced by the language of vers. 14, 15. Then (not in the Greek) cometh the wicked one; the evil one (Revised Version); Matthew 6:13, note. And catcheth (snatcheth, Revised Version) away - seizeth for himself (ἁρπάζει, Matthew 11:12, note) - that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed. That was sown (Revised Version, ὁ σπαρείς). And so throughout. The masculine is not merely concise, but also expresses the fact that, as even with land, the man who receives the seed does not put forth in turn merely the seed as something alien, but rather himself so far as he is influenced by the seed; or (regarding the subject from another point of view) he puts forth the new life and energy of the seed as conditioned by that which makes up himself.