Explanation of the Weeds and End-Time Judgment
Matthew 13:36-43
Matt.13.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Τοτε: ADV
- αφεις: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- οχλους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- ηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- οικιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- προσηλθον: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- μαθηται: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- λεγοντες·Διασαφησον: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,pl,m+VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- ημιν: PRON,dat,pl,1
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- παραβολην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- ζιζανιων: NOUN,gen,pl,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- αγρου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matt.13:24-30 (structural): Immediate context: the Parable of the Weeds (ta zizania) is narrated in 13:24–30, which 13:36–43 will explicitly interpret; 13:36 signals the shift from story to private explanation.
- Mark 4:10-13 (quotation): Disciples ask Jesus about the meaning of his parables and Jesus responds with an interpretation—parallel episode showing the same pattern of private explanation of parables.
- Mark 4:33-34 (thematic): States the principle that Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables but explained everything privately to his disciples, matching Matthew 13:36’s dismissal of the crowds and request for explanation.
- Luke 8:9-10 (quotation): The disciples (and/or the Twelve) ask the meaning of the parables and Jesus gives a private explanation ('to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom'), paralleling Matthew’s scene of inquiry and interpretation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.'
- Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.'
Matt.13.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν·Ο: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- σπειρων: VERB,pres,act,ptc,nom,m,sg
- το: ART,nom,sg,n
- καλον: ADJ,acc,sg,n
- σπερμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- ανθρωπου·: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matt.13:24 (structural): The opening of the parable: a man sows good seed in his field — sets the narrative context that Matt.13:37 then identifies the sower as the Son of Man.
- Matt.13:38-39 (structural): Immediate explanation of the parable: the field = world, the good seed = sons of the kingdom, the enemy = the devil, and the harvest = end of the age — a direct continuation of verse 37's identification of the sower.
- Mark 4:3,14 (verbal): Mark’s version of the Sower parable and its summary (“the sower sows the word”) uses the same sowing imagery and thematic link between the sower and the proclamation/word that Jesus personifies in Matthew 13:37.
- Luke 8:11 (verbal): Luke’s explanation of the Sower parable states explicitly that ‘the seed is the word of God,’ paralleling Matthew’s use of seed imagery and the identification of the sower’s activity with Jesus’ mission.
- John 12:24 (thematic): Jesus’ grain/seed imagery — a grain must die to bear much fruit — echoes the agricultural metaphor of sowing, linking the Son of Man’s work and eventual harvest to the sowing of good seed in Matthew 13:37.
Alternative generated candidates
- He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
- He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;'
Matt.13.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- αγρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κοσμος·το: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- καλον: ADJ,acc,sg,n
- σπερμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- ουτοι: DEM,nom,pl,m
- εισιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- υιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- βασιλειας·τα: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- δε: CONJ
- ζιζανια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- εισιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- υιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- πονηρου: ADJ,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 13:24-30 (structural): The immediate parable of the wheat and tares (sowing, enemy sowing weeds) — the narrative context that introduces the contrast between good seed and tares.
- Matthew 13:37-43 (structural): Jesus’ own explanation of the parable: identifies the sower, the good seed (sons of the kingdom), and the tares (sons of the evil one), and speaks of the final harvest and judgment.
- 1 John 3:10 (verbal): Direct binary language distinguishing 'children of God' and 'children of the devil' based on moral/ethical fruit — echoes the same twofold human categories found in Matthew 13:38.
- John 8:44 (verbal): Jesus calls certain opponents 'children of the devil' and attributes to them the devil’s character; parallels Matthew’s identification of some people as 'sons of the evil one.'
- Luke 8:11 (thematic): In the parallel parable tradition the 'seed' represents the word; connects to Matthew’s 'good seed' (sons of the kingdom) as those who receive and embody the kingdom-word.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the tares are the children of the evil one.
- 'the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;'
Matt.13.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- εχθρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- σπειρας: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αυτα: PRON,acc,pl,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- διαβολος·ο: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- θερισμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- συντελεια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- αιωνος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- θερισται: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αγγελοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- εισιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
Parallels
- Matt.13:37-38 (structural): Immediate context of the same parable identifies the sower (the Son of Man) and the field/world and the seeds — frames the contrast between the good seed and the enemy’s sowing.
- Matt.13:40-43 (verbal): Continues the parable’s explanation: repeats the harvest-as-end-of-age motif and explicitly states that angels will carry out the gathering and judgment of the wicked.
- Matt.25:31-33 (thematic): End-time scene where the Son of Man is accompanied by angels who separate the righteous and the wicked — parallels the harvest imagery of final separation and judgment.
- Rev.14:14-20 (thematic): Apocalyptic harvest imagery in which the Son of Man (or an angelic agent) reaps the earth and angels execute the harvest — echoes the NT link between harvest, end-time judgment, and angelic reapers.
- Joel 3:13 (Joel 4:13 LXX) (allusion): Old Testament prophetic call to 'Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe' provides the OT background for New Testament harvest-as-judgment language and the timing 'day of the LORD'/'end of the age.'
Alternative generated candidates
- 'The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
- 'the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.'
Matt.13.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ωσπερ: ADV
- ουν: CONJ
- συλλεγεται: VERB,pres,mp,ind,3,sg
- τα: ART,nom,pl,neut
- ζιζανια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- και: CONJ
- πυρι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- καιεται: VERB,pres,mp,ind,3,sg
- ουτως: ADV
- εσται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- συντελεια: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- αιωνος·: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 13:30 (structural): Immediate context of the parable: the instruction to let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest frames the contrast with the later burning of the weeds at the end of the age.
- Matthew 13:41-42 (verbal): Continues the parable’s explanation using nearly identical judgment language—'the Son of Man will send out his angels...they will throw them into the furnace of fire'—linking the burning of the tares to final eschatological punishment.
- Matthew 13:49-50 (verbal): A parallel parable (the dragnet) that repeats the same eschatological imagery of sorting the wicked and casting them 'into the fiery furnace,' reinforcing the theme of final judgment.
- Matthew 3:12 (verbal): John the Baptist’s winnowing/harvest imagery: the Son (or Christ) will gather the wheat and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire—an earlier use of the harvest/fire motif applied to divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
- So, just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
Matt.13.41 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- αποστελει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- ανθρωπου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- αγγελους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- και: CONJ
- συλλεξουσιν: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,pl
- εκ: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- βασιλειας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- παντα: ADJ,acc,pl,n
- τα: ART,nom,pl,neut
- σκανδαλα: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- και: CONJ
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- ποιουντας: PART,pres,act,acc,pl,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- ανομιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matt.13:49 (verbal): Near-parallel within the same chapter: repeats the wording that 'the angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,' reinforcing the same angelic gathering/separation motif.
- Matt.24:31 (verbal): Jesus will 'send out his angels with a loud trumpet' to gather the elect—echoes the sending of angels and the eschatological gathering language of 13:41.
- Matt.25:31-46 (thematic): The Son of Man comes in glory with angels and separates peoples (sheep and goats); thematically parallels the final judgment and the separation of righteous and wicked.
- Luke 3:17 (thematic): John's winnowing imagery—gathering the wheat into the barn and burning the chaff—uses the same harvest/separation metaphor for divine judgment as Matt 13:41.
- Dan.7:13-14 (allusion): The Danielic 'one like a son of man' who receives authority and an everlasting kingdom undergirds the Matthean Son of Man motif and the eschatological authority to send angels and judge.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all who do lawlessness,
- The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that causes sin and all who practice lawlessness;
Matt.13.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- βαλουσιν: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- καμινον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- πυρος·εκει: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- εσται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κλαυθμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- βρυγμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- οδοντων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Matthew 13:50 (verbal): Almost identical wording within the same chapter — the wicked are cast into the furnace of fire, followed by 'weeping and gnashing of teeth' (repetition of the parable's concluding judgment).
- Matthew 8:12 (verbal): Uses the same phrase 'weeping and gnashing of teeth' to describe the fate of those excluded from the kingdom, linking Jesus' judgment language though here they are cast into 'outer darkness' rather than a furnace.
- Matthew 22:13 (verbal): Parable of the wedding feast ends with the king casting a guest into 'outer darkness' where there will be 'weeping and gnashing of teeth,' echoing the punitive imagery of final exclusion and sorrow.
- Matthew 25:30 (structural): Parable of the talents concludes with the unprofitable servant being cast into outer darkness with 'weeping and gnashing of teeth,' a structurally parallel expression of eschatological punishment for the unfaithful.
- Luke 13:28 (verbal): Lukan parallel where Jesus speaks of people 'weeping and gnashing their teeth' outside (the banquet/kingdom), closely matching Matthew's phrase and its association with eschatological lament.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- they will throw them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matt.13.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Τοτε: ADV
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δικαιοι: ADJ,nom,pl,m
- εκλαμψουσιν: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,pl
- ως: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ηλιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- βασιλεια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- πατρος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,3
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- εχων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ωτα: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- ακουετω: VERB,pres,act,imp,3,sg
Parallels
- Dan.12.3 (verbal): Righteous ones pictured as shining like heavenly lights/stars—close verbal and imagery parallel to “shine as the sun.”
- Isa.60:1-3 (thematic): Call to ‘Arise, shine’ and the motif of light/brightness drawing nations echoes the eschatological shining of the righteous in God’s kingdom.
- Phil.2:15 (verbal): Believers described as shining ‘as lights in the world,’ a New Testament ethical restatement of the same light/brightness motif for the righteous.
- Mark 4:9 (verbal): Contains the identical admonition “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” the synoptic verbal parallel to Matthew’s closing formula.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the one who has ears hear.'
- Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the weeds are the children of the evil one.
The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all who practice lawlessness.
They will throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.