Luke 8:6

6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

Luke 8:6 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 8:6

And some fell upon a rock
Which the other evangelists call "stony places", and "stony ground"; by which are meant such hearers whose hearts are, hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and continue so notwithstanding the preaching of the word unto them.

And as soon as it sprung up;
as it did immediately, as the other evangelists say; and that for this reason, which they give, "because it had no depth of earth"; only a small crust, or shell of earth over the rock; and signifies, that these hearers had only a superficial knowledge of the word, and hastily made a profession of it, which soon came to nothing:

it withered away, because it lacked moisture;
the other evangelists say, "when the sun was up, it was scorched"; meaning tribulation and persecution, the grace of God being wanting to support under fiery trials: the reason given in Matthew and Mark why it withered, is,

because it had no root;
and so read the Persic and Ethiopic versions here.

Luke 8:6 In-Context

4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:

5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”