σπείρω G4687
To sow seed; used of planting, of what is sown, and of the sower in parable
One of the New Testament's most vivid agricultural verbs, speiro describes the act of scattering seed onto prepared ground. Jesus made it central to his teaching through the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3-23), where the word itself appears in active, passive, and participial forms to describe the sower, the act of sowing, and the various fates of what is sown. Paul extends it powerfully in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 to describe the resurrection body 'sown in corruption, raised in incorruption,' and in Galatians 6:7-8 for sowing to flesh versus Spirit.
1. sow seed, plant — The active sense of scattering or planting seed, covering both literal agriculture (Matt 6:26, 'they neither sow nor reap') and figurative sowing of the gospel or of righteousness. The Spanish 'sembrar' and German 'saeen' faithfully mirror the base agricultural meaning. Jesus' parable begins with this act: 'a sower went out to sow' (Matt 13:3). 21×
AR["أَزرَعْ","أَزْرَعْ","الزَّرْعِ","تَزرَعُ","تَزرَعْ","تَزْرَعُ","تَزْرَعْ","زَرَعتَ","زَرَعَ-فَوقَهُ","زَرَعَهَا","زَرَعْنا","زِرَاعَةِ","يَزرَعَ","يَزرَعُ","يَزرَعُهُ","يَزْرَعُ"]·ben["আমরা-বুনেছি,","বপন-করতে","বীজ-বপনে,","বীজ-বোনে।","বুনল","বুনলাম","বুনলে","বুনে-দিল","বুনেছ","বুনেছি","বুনেছিলেন","বোন,","বোনে","বোনে,"]·DE["saeen","sät"]·EN["I-sowed","did-you-sow","sowed","sowing","sows","they-sow","to-sow","you-sow","you-sowed"]·FR["semer"]·heb["זְרִיעָה","זְרֹעַ","זָרַע","זָרַעְנוּ","זָרַעְתִּי","זָרַעְתָּ","זוֹרְעִים","זוֹרְעוֹת","זוֹרֵעַ","יִזְרַע"]·HI["के","तू-बोता-है","बोत-है","बोते","बोते-समय","बोते-हुए","बोते-हैं","बोने","बोयअ","बोयअ-थअ","बोया"]·ID["Aku-menabur","aku-menabur","engkau-menabur","engkau-taburkan","engkau-tanam,","menabur","menabur,","menabur.","menaburkan","telah-menabur"]·IT["seminare","speirē"]·jav["Kula-sebar?","Panjenengan-nyebar","mboten","nanem","nyebar","nyebar,","nyebar.","panjenengan-nyebar","panjenengan-sebar","panjenengan-sebar.","sampun-kita-sebar,"]·KO["덧뿌렸다","뿌렸다","뿌리기-위해","뿌리는-것","뿌리는-중에","뿌리러","뿌리면","뿌리셨습니까","뿌린다","뿌릴-때에","뿐린","심고","심나니","심다","심으신","심은","심지","심지-않고"]·PT["semeamos,","semear","semear,","semeaste","semeei","semeia.","semeiam","semeias,","semeou","semeou-por-cima"]·RU["время-сеяния","посеял","посеял-ты","посеяли,","сеет","сеешь","сеют","сеял","сеянии","сеять","ты-сеял","я-сеял"]·ES["sembramos","sembrar","sembraste","sembré","sembró","sembró-encima","siembra","siembran","siembras","siembre"]·SW["akapanda","akapanda-juu","anapanda.","atapanda","hawapandi","kupanda","kupanda,","nikapanda","pandi","tulipanda,","ukapanda","ulipanda","unapanda","wa-kupanda"]·TR["ama-","ekerken","ekerken,","ekerler","ekerse","ekiyor.","ekmek-için","ekmeye","ekmezler","ekti","ektim","ektin","ne","şeyleri"]·urd["بوئیں","بوئے","بوتا-ہے","بوتے","بوتے-ہیں","بونے","بونے-میں","بونے-کے-لیے","بویا","بویا-تھا-تو-نے"]
Matt 6:26, Matt 13:3, Matt 13:4, Matt 13:25, Matt 13:27, Matt 13:31, Matt 25:24, Matt 25:26, Mark 4:3, Mark 4:4, Mark 4:14, Luke 8:5 (+9 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. be sown, what is sown — The passive voice indicating what has been sown or planted, prominent in Jesus' interpretation of the parable where 'what was sown on rocky ground' represents a type of hearer (Matt 13:20). Paul's resurrection discourse in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 uses this form repeatedly: 'it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.' The Spanish passive 'es sembrado/a' precisely captures this grammatical shift. 17×
AR["المَزْروعَةَ","تُزْرَعُ","زُرِعوا","مَزرُوعَ","مَزرُوعُ","يُزرَعُ","يُزْرَعونَ"]·ben["বোনা","বোনা,","বোনা-হয়","বোনা-হয়,","বোনা;","বোনা।"]·DE["saeen","sät"]·EN["being-sown","having-been-sown","is-sown","it-is-sown"]·FR["semer"]·heb["הַנִּזְרָע","נִזְרַע","נִזְרָע","נִזְרָעִים"]·HI["छोटा","जो","बोए-जाते-हैं","बोयअ-हुअ","बोया-गया-है","बोया-जाए","बोया-जाता-है"]·ID["Ditanam","ditabur,","ditaburkan","ditaburkan,","yang-ditaburkan","yang-ditaburkan,","yang-ditaburkan.","yang-ditaburkan;"]·IT["seminare","speiretai"]·jav["dipun-sebar","dipunsebar,","disebar","disebar,","disebar.","disebar;","kasebar","kasebar,","kasebar."]·KO["뿌려지는","뿌려지는-자들","뿌려지면","뿌려진","뿌려진-것을","뿌려진-자","뿌려진-자들","뿌려진-자이다","뿌리나니","심겨진다,"]·PT["Semeia-se","for-semeado","for-semeado,","semeada","semeado","semeados,","semeados.","semeados;","é-semeada","é-semeado"]·RU["посеянное","посеянные","посеянный","посеяно","сеется","сеется,"]·ES["es-sembrada","es-sembrado","se-siembra","sembrada","sembrado","sembrados"]·SW["aliyepandwa","inapopandwa","inapopandwa,","kilichopandwa","lililopandwa","linapandwa","unapandwa","waliopandwa,","waliopandwa.","waliopandwa;"]·TR["ekilenler,","ekilenler.","ekilenler;","ekilir","ekilirse","ekilirse,","ekiliyor","ekilmiş","ekilmiş-olan","ekilmiş-olanı"]·urd["بوئے-جاتے-ہیں","بوئے-گئے","بوئے-ہوئے","بویا-جائے","بویا-جاتا-ہے","بویا-جاتا-ہے٬","بویا-گیا"]
Matt 13:19, Matt 13:19, Matt 13:20, Matt 13:22, Matt 13:23, Mark 4:15, Mark 4:15, Mark 4:16, Mark 4:18, Mark 4:20, Mark 4:31, Mark 4:32 (+5 more)
3. the sower (substantival) — The participial form used as a substantive noun meaning 'the sower,' a figure who becomes almost a title in Jesus' parables. In Matthew 13:3 the sower goes out, and in 13:37 Jesus identifies the sower as 'the Son of Man.' The consistent rendering across languages (Spanish 'que siembra,' English 'sower') shows how naturally the participle became a character designation. 15×
AR["الزّارِعُ","الزّارِعِ","الَّذي-يَزرَعُ","زارِعُ","زَارِعُ","زَارِعِ","زَرَعَ","زَرَعَهُ"]·ben["বপনকারী","বীজ-বপনকারী","বীজ-বপনকারীর","বীজ-বোনে","বীজ-বোনেওয়ালাকে","বীজ-রোপণকারী","বুনেছিল","বোনেওয়ালা"]·DE["saeen","sät"]·EN["having-sown","one-sowing","sower","sowing"]·FR["semer"]·heb["זּוֹרֵעַ","זוֹרֵעַ"]·HI["को","बोत","बोने","बोने-वअलअ","बोने-वअले","बोने-वअले-के","बोने-वाला","बोनेवाला","बोनेवाला,","बोनेवाले-को"]·ID["Penabur","menabur","penabur","yang-menabur","yang-menabur,"]·IT["seminare","speirōn"]·jav["ingkang-nyebar","ingkang-nyebar,","juru-nyebar","nanem","nenandur","nyebar","tiyang-ingkang-nenandur","tiyang-nyebar:","wong-nyebar"]·KO["뿌리는-자가","뿌리는-자에게","뿌리는-자와","뿌린","뿌린-자는","씨-뿌리는-자가","씨-뿌리는-자는","씨-뿌리는-자의"]·PT["o-semeou","que-semeia","que-semeia,","que-semeou","semeador","semeia"]·RU["посеявшему","посеявший","сеющему","сеющий","сеявшего","сеятель"]·ES["que-la-sembró","que-sembró","que-siembra","sembrador","sembrando"]·SW["-wa-mpanzi","Anayepanda","aliyepanda","aliyeyapanda","anayepanda","apandaye","mpandaji,","mpanzi"]·TR["eken","ekene","ekenin","ekici"]·urd["-ال","بونے-والا","بونے-والے","بونے-والے-کی","بویا"]
Matt 13:3, Matt 13:18, Matt 13:24, Matt 13:37, Matt 13:39, Mark 4:3, Mark 4:14, Luke 8:5, John 4:36, John 4:37, 2 Cor 9:6, 2 Cor 9:6 (+3 more)
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G0837 1. grow, increase (intransitive) (20×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σπείρω, Aeolic dialect σπέρρωRefs: Ionic dialect imperfect σπείρεσκον Refs 5th c.BC+: future σπερῶ Refs 5th c.BC+; Aeolic dialect σπέρσω Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἔσπειρα Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἔσπαρκα Refs 2nd c.AD+:—middle, aorist infinitive σπείρασθαι Refs 3rd c.BC+; aorist 2 σπαρέσθαι uncertain reading in Refs 2nd c.AD+:—passive, future σπᾰρήσομαι LXX+1st c.BC+aorist ἐσπάρην [ᾰ] Refs 5th c.BC+:…