Matthew 13:10-17

An Explanation

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why * do You speak to them in parables?"

11 Jesus answered them, "¹To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

12 "²For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

13 "Therefore * I speak to them in parables; because while ³seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, '⁴YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15 ⁵FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'

16 "⁶But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

17 "For truly I say to you that ⁷many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 19:11; Matthew 20:23; John 6:65; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 2:20, 27
• 2. Matthew 25:29; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; Luke 19:26
• 3. Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 42:19, 20; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2
• 4. Isaiah 6:9; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26, 27; Romans 10:16; Romans 11:8
• 5. Isaiah 6:10; Psalms 119:70; Zechariah 7:11; Luke 19:42; John 8:43, 44; 2 Timothy 4:4; Hebrews 5:11
• 6. Matthew 13:16, 17: {Luke 10:23, 24;} Matthew 16:17; John 20:29
• 7. John 8:56; Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 1:10-12

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "He"
• [b]. Lit "For them"
• [c]. Lit "With a hearing you will hear"
• [d]. Lit "and"
• [e]. Lit "Seeing you will see"