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Matthew 13:19
ESV When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
NIV When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
NASB When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road.
CSB When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.
NLT The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.
KJV When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

What does Matthew 13:19 mean?

Jesus is beginning to explain the meaning of the sower parable (Matthew 13:3–9). In the New Testament, a parable often takes the form of a very short story meant to illustrate profound theological truths. Not every single detail is meant to carry an important message. Rather, it's the overall message that's meant to be grasped. Jesus' parables, especially, described truths about the kingdom of heaven.

This parable described a sower planting grain in his field. Farmers would scatter seeds across every part of a prepared field as they walked, distributing some of the seed right on top of the borders to ensure every inch was covered. In those cases, some seed would fall along the hard-packed path. When that happened, Jesus taught, the seeds would sit and wait for the birds to come and devour them.

Now Jesus shows that the seeds represent the "word of the kingdom" or His teaching about the kingdom of heaven. Different soils represent people with different levels of interest. Seeds falls onto the hard-packed earth represent those who do not understand spiritual teaching. This may be the crowds, in general, or the hardened, unmovable hearts of the Jewish religious leaders. The truth fails to penetrate below the surface, and Satan easily snatches it away from them.

A major point of controversy in this parable is whether Jesus is describing the difference between those who come to faith in Christ and those who do not. Interpreters have disagreed on where among the four options the line of salvation is drawn, or if it's even part of the lesson. Most scholars are cautious about what Jesus means about not understanding the "word of the kingdom." The same is true of shallow commitment due to persecution or worldliness, as in the following verses (Matthew 13:20–22). Christ is speaking most directly about whether Israel will receive Him as the Messiah. His emphasis is on producing "fruitful" plants who multiply themselves into more and more participants in His mission.

In short, while this parable presents useful parallels to how people respond to the gospel of salvation, most interpreters do not think this passage is meant to teach anything regarding eternal salvation for people in general.
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