Luke 8:13 Meaning and Explanation
“They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The rocky-ground hearers receive the word with joy but have no root; they believe for a while and fall away when testing comes.
What Does Luke 8:13 Mean?
The second soil receives the word with joy, springing up at once like grain on shallow stone. But there is no root beneath the gladness; such hearers believe for a while, and in the time of testing they fall away, as the sprout withered for lack of moisture.
Joy at the word is real and right, but joy is not root. Root grows unseen: in prayer, in obedience kept when no one watches, in holding on after the first feelings fade. Testing comes to every hearer, and it does not create the shallowness; it reveals it. The verse invites us to ask Christ not only to delight us but to deepen us, so that when trial finds the plant, it finds it anchored.
Luke 8:13 in the Original Language
peirasmos (πειρασμός), 'temptation' -- a season of trial or testing that proves what is real.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 8:13
What does Luke 8:13 mean?
The rocky-ground hearers receive the word with joy but have no root; they believe for a while and fall away when testing comes.