|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| == Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words <ref name="term_79421" /> ==
| | |
| <div> '''1: σπέρμα ''' (Strong'S #4690 Noun Neuter sperma sper'-mah ) </div> <p> akin to speiro, "to sow" (Eng., "sperm," "spermatic," etc.), has the following usages, (a) agricultural and botanical, e.g., Matthew 13:24,27,32 (for the [[Av]] of vv. 19-23, see sow, as in the [[Rv);]] 1 Corinthians 15:38; 2 Corinthians 9:10; (b) physiological, Hebrews 11:11; (c) metaphorical and by metonymy and for "offspring, posterity," (1) of natural offspring e.g., Matthew 22:24,25 , [[Rv,]] "seed" [[(Av,]] "issue"); John 7:42; 8:33,37; Acts 3:25; Romans 1:3; 4:13,16,18; 9:7 (twice),8,29; 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Hebrews 2:16; 11:18; Revelation 12:17; Galatians 3:16,19,29; in the 16th ver., "He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ," quoted from the Sept. of Genesis 13:15; 17:7,8 , there is especial stress on the word "seed," as referring to an individual (here, Christ) in fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, a unique use of the singular. While the plural form "seeds," neither in [[Hebrew]] nor in Greek, would have been natural any more than in English (it is not so used in [[Scripture]] of human offspring; its plural occurrence is in 1 Samuel 8:15 , of crops), yet if the [[Divine]] intention had been to refer to Abraham's natural descendants, another word could have been chosen in the plural, such as "children;" all such words were, however, set aside, "seed" being selected as one that could be used in the singular, with the purpose of showing that the "seed" was Messiah. Some of the rabbis had even regarded "seed," e.g., in Genesis 4:25; Isaiah 53:10 , as referring to the Coming One. Descendants were given to [[Abraham]] by other than natural means, so that through him [[Messiah]] might come, and the point of the Apostle's argument is that since the fulfillment of the promises of God is secured alone by Christ, they only who are "in Christ" can receive them; (2) of spiritual offspring, Romans 4:16,18; 9:8; here "the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed" points, firstly, to Isaac's birth as being not according to the ordinary course of nature but by Divine promise, and, secondly, by analogy, to the fact that all believers are children of God by spiritual birth; Galatians 3:29 . </p> 1 John 3:9 <div> '''2: σπόρος ''' (Strong'S #4703 Noun Masculine sporos spor'-os ) </div> <p> akin to No. 1, properly "a sowing," denotes "seed sown," (a) natural, Mark 4:26,27; Luke 8:5,11 (the natural being figuratively applied to the Word of God); 2 Corinthians 9:10 (1st part); (b) metaphorically of material help to the needy, 2 Corinthians 9:10 (2nd part), [[Rv,]] "(your) seed for sowing" [[(Av,]] "seed sown"). </p> <div> '''3: σπορά ''' (Strong'S #4701 Noun [[Feminine]] spora spor-ah' ) </div> <p> akin to No. 1, and like No. 2, "a sowing, seedtime," denotes "seed sown," 1 Peter 1:23 , of human offspring. In the Sept. 2 Kings 19:29 . </p> | | Seed <ref name="term_57274" /> |
|
| | < p> <b> [[Seed.]] </ b> —Excluding the use of this term as equivalent to < i> progeny, offspring </i> , or <i> race </i> ( cf. <i> e. g. </i> Mark 12: 19-24, Luke 1:55, John 7:42), we find it exclusively employed in the parables of Jesus as an apt symbol for [[ Divine]] influence, or for the expansion of the moral and religious life in communities or individuals. </p> <p> <b> 1 . </b> In Mark 4: 26-29, a parable peculiar to Mark, Jesus uses the process of sowing and the subsequent conduct of the farmer to illustrate the certain success of His [[ Kingdom]] upon earth. What He preached about seemed perhaps to the disciples, as well as to outsiders, as weak as a grain of seed flung upon a field. Yet neither is an isolated or foreign thing in the world. On the side of the gospel were certain mysterious powers which would ensure it success, apart from human aid or interference. All it required was time. The order of things was a ripening order, and at the proper moment these favourable conditions would bring about the fruit and result of what at present seemed a very precarious and unpromising movement among men. Such is the general point of the parable. The seed’s vital energy and its appointed correspondence with the powers of nature symbolize features in the gospel which enable Jesus to await the future with quiet confidence and an easy mind. Neither is just what it seems to the outward eye. Each sets in action a slow but sure process of growth, upon which the sensible person will count. ‘Fruit grows thus,’ said Epictetus; ‘the seed must be buried for some time, hidden, and then grow slowly if it is to reach perfection.’ It is by an extension, or rather a special application, of this usage that the self-sacrifice of man is compared to the burying of the seed in the furrow ( John 12:23-25), with special reference to the death of Jesus Himself. The ultimate effects of such self-immolation depend on the thoroughness of the process itself. </p> <p> The Kingdom is also compared to seed in the parable of the [[ Mustard]] Seed ( Mark 4:30-32 = Matthew 13:31-32 = Luke 13: 18-19). [[ A]] small thing to begin with, it ultimately surpasses all other movements which make a greater show at first to the untrained eye. Here the Kingdom is conceived of , not eschatologically, but historically. When it is likened to ‘seed,’ the thought is mainly of the immense possibilities of growth in it, as compared with its initial size, the correspondence between it and the soul of man, and the pledge, which it contains, of some final and splendid issue. </p> < p> < b> 2. < /b> Seed, on the other hand, depends to a certain extent upon soil. While essentially designed to co-operate with the vital forces of nature, it may be rendered wholly or partially barren. And in this further sense it forms a symbol for Jesus of the Divine word and its fortunes in the world of men. Consequently we find that in two other parables the seed represents not the Kingdom, but the word ( cf. Matthew 13: 19) . </p> <p> The first of these, the parable of the Sower and the Soils ( Mark 4:2 f. = Matthew 13:3 f. = Luke 8:5 f.), bears on the difficulties and disappointments encountered in the preaching of the word of God. The latter is compared to the vital germ or grain of the plant, which, through no fault of its own or of the sower, may fail to germinate, owing to the unpromising nature of the ground on which it chances to fall. Nevertheless, the work of the sower must proceed. The partial failure of his efforts is not to render his career or calling void. In the parable itself, which is undoubtedly genuine, the original reference is to the experiences of Jesus Himself as a preacher. ‘Jesus has to preach; the rest is God’s concern’ ( Wellhausen) . But in the subsequent interpretation of the parable, which, like other interpretations, must be held to contain in whole or part reflexions of the [[Apostolic]] age and traces of the editor’s hand, the scope widens to include the general preaching of [[Christian]] evangelists, who are counselled not to let themselves be daunted by finding the unsympathetic and the preoccupied among their hearers. The seed must be sown. The word must be trusted to do its work in congenial hearts. The teaching must be imparted. Such is the supreme lesson for evangelists drawn here by Jesus from the vegetable world. </p> <p> The other parable is that of the Tares, or darnel ( Matthew 13: 24 f.), which may be an allegorized variation, and in part an expansion, of the ideas contained in Mark 4: 26-29. Certainly, whatever be the original nucleus , the editorial reflexions indicate a rather advanced period in the history of the early Church’s mission and discipline. Growth, here too, is a partial feature of the situation. But the seed or word is further exposed to deliberate and widespread corruption and rivalry. Another power of influence is stealthily at work among men. God’s message finds no virgin soil, for the growth of the seed is thwarted; and specious, vigorous rivals abound. </p> <p> Both of the latter parables, in so far as they emphasize the nature of God’s word or message as seed, thus touch wisely and earnestly on its mysterious power of growth. The spoken word is essentially fruitful. It is the instrument of the Divine mission. ‘We forget too often that language is both a seed-sowing and a revelation, ’ says Amiel. ‘Man is a husbandman; his whole work rightly understood is to develop life, to sow it everywhere.’ And the supreme method is the contact of one personality with another, especially through the medium of that spoken intercourse which conveys the truth of God to the soul of man. This, and no external means, is the chosen way of Jesus. </p> <p> Literature.—In addition to the critical editors on the passages above cited, and writers on the [[Parables]] (especially Trench, Bruce, Jülicher, and Godet), cf. [[T.]] [[G.]] Selby, <i> [[Ministry]] of the Lord Jesus </i> , p. 157 f.; Keim, <i> Jesus of Nazara </i> , iv. p. 138 f.; and [[J.]] Rendel Harris, < i> Union with God < /i> , p. 171 f. </p> <p> [[J. ]] Moffatt. </p> |
| == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_57275" /> ==
| | |
| <p> The early [[Christians]] used ‘seed’ in its natural sense, of that which contains the germ-cell ( 1) of plants (σπέρμα, Matthew 13:24; Matthew 13:27; Matthew 13:32; Matthew 13:37 f., Mark 4:31, 1 Corinthians 15:38, 2 Corinthians 9:10; σπόρος, Mark 4:26 f. , Luke 8:5; Luke 8:11), and (2) of man ( σπέρμα, Hebrews 11: 11; σπορά, 1 Peter 1: 23). Metaphorically, ‘seed’ (σπέρμα) was used (1) of the nucleus of the [[Jewish]] race left from the [[Captivity]] ( Romans 9:29); (2) of offspring in general, either (a ) taken literally ( Matthew 22:24 f., Mark 12:19-22, Luke 1:55; Luke 20:28, John 7:42; John 8:33; John 8:37, Acts 3:25; Acts 7:5 f., Acts 13:23, Romans 1:3; Romans 4:13; Romans 9:7; Romans 11:1, 2 Corinthians 11:22, 2 Timothy 2:8, Hebrews 2:16; Hebrews 11:18, Revelation 12:17), or (b) figuratively, as when believers were called Abraham’s seed because they emulated his faith ( Romans 4:16; Romans 4:18; Romans 9:8, Galatians 3:16; Galatians 3:19; Galatians 3:29); and, finally, (3) of the generating power of God acting through His Word (cf. 1 Peter 1:23) and His Spirit ( 1 John 3:9). St. Paul argued in Rabbinical fashion from the distinction between ‘seed’ and ‘seeds’ ( Galatians 3:16 ff.). Since the singular stood in Genesis 13:15 f. and Genesis 17:7 f. , he concluded that the promise made to Abraham pointed to Christ as an individual and not collectively to Jews. For this and similar examples of artificial exegesis in the [[Nt,]] see Interpretation. < /p> <p > [[S. ]] [[J.]] Case. </p> | | == References == |
|
| |
| == Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_172305" /> ==
| |
| <p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' n.) The principle of production. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' n.) That from which anything springs; first principle; original; source; as, the seeds of virtue or vice. </p> <p> '''(3):''' ''' (''' n.) The generative fluid of the male; semen; sperm; - not used in the plural. </p> <p> '''(4):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] ripened ovule, consisting of an embryo with one or more integuments, or coverings; as, an apple seed; a currant seed. By germination it produces a new plant. </p> <p> '''(5):''' ''' (''' n.) Progeny; offspring; children; descendants; as, the seed of Abraham; the seed of David. </p> <p> '''(6):''' ''' (''' pl.) of Seed </p> <p> '''(7):''' ''' (''' n.) Race; generation; birth. </p> <p> '''(8):''' ''' (''' v. t.) To sprinkle with seed; to plant seeds in; to sow; as, to seed a field. </p> <p> '''(9):''' ''' (''' n.) Any small seedlike fruit, though it may consist of a pericarp, or even a calyx, as well as the seed proper; as, parsnip seed; thistle seed. </p> <p> '''(10):''' ''' (''' v. t.) To cover thinly with something scattered; to ornament with seedlike decorations. </p> | |
|
| |
| == King James Dictionary <ref name="term_63048" /> ==
| |
| <p> [[Seed,]] n. </p> 1. The substance, animal or vegetable, which nature prepares for the reproduction and conservation of the species. The seeds of plants are a deciduous part, containing the rudiments of a new vegetable. In some cases, the seeds costitute the fruit or valuable part of plants, as in the case of wheat and other esculent grain sometimes the seeds are inclosed in fruit, as in apples and melons. When applied to animal matter, it has no plural. 2. That from which any thing springs first principle original as the seeds of virtue or vice. 3. [[Principle]] of production. <p> [[Praise]] of great acts he scatters as a seed. Waller. </p> 4. Progeny offspring children descendants as the seed of Abraham the seed of David. In this sense, the word is applied to one person, or to any number collectively, and admits of the plural form but rarely used in the plural. 5. [[Race]] generation birth. <p> Of mortal seed they were not held. Waller. </p> <p> [[Seed,]] 51 </p> 1. To grow to maturity, so as to produce seed. Maiz will not seed in a cool climate. 2. To shed the seed. <p> [[Seed,]] 5t. To sow to sprinkle with seed, which germinates and takes root. </p>
| |
|
| |
| == Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary <ref name="term_48784" /> ==
| |
| <p> This word is differently used in Scripture—sometimes in figure, and at others literally. It is used in a way of figure when spoken of the word of God; thus Christ compares his word to "seed cast into the ground." ( Luke 8:5) Peter calls it the "incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever." ( 1 Peter 1:23) But it is used in a literal sense also when referring to the increase of men or beasts. ( Jeremiah 31:27) And it is used in a spiritual sense when the faithful in Christ Jesus are called the seed of Abraham, ( Galatians 3:29) And yet in a still more peculiar, personal, and eminent manner when considered in relation to our union with Christ; [["I]] will pour my Spirit (saith [[Jehovah]] to Christ) upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." ( Isaiah 44:3; Isa 59:21) </p>
| |
|
| |
| == Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types <ref name="term_198311" /> ==
| |
| <p> Matthew 13:24 (a) It is the Word of [[God]] which, in all of its multitudinous aspects and forms, produces a variety of results. (See Matthew 13:19). </p> <p> Matthew 13:38 (a) The people of [[God]] are the seed in this parable. The Lord takes His children and plants them in soil where they will produce the best results for Him. </p> <p> 2 Corinthians 9:10 (b) There are precious portions of the Scripture which can best be used by each individual Christian. The Spirit of [[God]] reveals to each person the special truths in His Word which seem particularly adapted to his nature and mentality. The [[Christian]] then takes this line of truth and ministers or plants it in the hearts of others. </p>
| |
|
| |
| == American Tract Society Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_17310" /> ==
| |
| <p> Genesis 1:11; often used figuratively in Scripture, Daniel 9:1 1 Peter 1:23 1 John 3:9 . There was an injunction in the [[Mosaic]] Law against sowing a field with mingled seed of diverse kinds, Leviticus 19:19 . The "precious seed" is often committed to the ground with many fears; but the harvest, at least in spiritual things, shall be a season of joy, Psalm 126:5,6 . </p>
| |
|
| |
| == International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_7968" /> ==
| |
| <p> ''''' sēd ''''' (Old [[Testament]] always for זרע , <i> ''''' zera‛ ''''' </i> , [[Aramaic]] ( Daniel 2:43 ) זרע , <i> '''''zera‛''''' </i> , except in Joel 1:17 for פּרדות , <i> '''''perudhōth''''' </i> (plural, the Revised Version (British and American) "seeds," the King James Version "seed"), and Leviticus 19:19 (the King James Version "mingled seed") and Deuteronomy 22:9 (the King James Version "divers seeds") for כּלאים , <i> '''''kil'ayim''''' </i> , literally, "two kinds," the Revised Version (British and American) "two kinds of seed." Invariably in Greek [[Apocrypha]] and usually in the New Testament for σπέρμα , <i> '''''spérma''''' </i> , but Mark 4:26 , Mark 4:27; Luke 8:5 , Luke 8:11; 2 Corinthians 9:10 for σπόρος , <i> '''''spóros''''' </i> , and 1 Peter 1:23 for σπορά , <i> '''''sporá''''' </i> ): (1) For "seed" in its literal sense see [[Agriculture]] . Of interest is the method of measuring land by means of the amount of seed that could be sown on it ( Leviticus 27:16 ). The prohibition against using two kinds of seed in the same field ( Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:9 ) undoubtedly rests on the fact that the practice had some connection with [[Canaanitish]] worship, making the whole crop "consecrated" ( <i> '''''taboo''''' </i> ). Jeremiah 31:27 uses "seed of man" and "seed of beast" as a figure for the means by which God will increase the prosperity of [[Israel]] (i.e. "seed yielding men"). (2) For the transferred physiological application of the word to human beings ( Leviticus 15:16 , etc.) see [[Clean]]; [[Unclean]] . The conception of Christians as "born" or "begotten" of God (see [[Regeneration]] ) gave rise to the figure in 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9 . If the imagery is to be stressed, the [[Holy]] Spirit is meant. In [[I]] John 3:9 a doctrine of certain [[Gnostics]] is opposed. They taught that by learning certain formulas and by submitting to certain rites, union with God and salvation could be attained without holiness of life. John's reply is that union with a righteous God is meaningless without righteousness as an ideal, even though shortcomings exist in practice ( 1 John 1:8 ). (3) From the physiological use of "seed" the transition to the sense of "offspring" was easy, and the word may mean "children" ( Leviticus 18:21 , etc.) or even a single child ( Genesis 4:25; 1 Samuel 1:11 the Revised Version margin). Usually, however, it means the whole posterity ( [[Genesis]] 3:15 , etc.); compare "seed royal" ( 2 Kings 11:1 , etc.), and "Abraham's seed" ( 2 Chronicles 20:7 , etc.) or "the holy seed" ( Ezra 9:2; Isaiah 6:13; 1 [[Esdras]] 8:70; compare Jeremiah 2:21 ) as designations of Israel. So "to show one's seed" ( Ezra 2:59;, Nehemiah 7:61 ) is to display one's genealogy, and "one's seed" may be simply one's nation, conceived of as a single family ( Esther 10:3 ). From this general sense there developed a still looser use of "seed" as meaning simply "men" ( Malachi 2:15; Isaiah 1:4; Isaiah 57:4; The Wisdom of [[Solomon]] 10:15; 12:11, etc.). </p> <p> In Galatians 3:16 Paul draws a distinction between "seeds" and "seed" that has for its purpose a proof that the promises to Abraham were realized in Christ and not in Israel. The distinction, however, overstresses the language of the Old Testament, which never pluralizes <i> '''''zera‛''''' </i> when meaning "descendants" (plural only in 1 Samuel 8:15; compare Romans 4:18; Romans 9:7 ). But in an argument against rabbinical adversaries Paul was obliged to use rabbinical methods (compare Galatians 4:25 ). For modern purposes it is probably best to treat such an exegetical method as belonging simply to the (now superseded) science of the times. </p>
| |
|
| |
| == Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_60046" /> ==
| |
| <p> (זֶרִע '', zera; σπέρμα'' )''.'' The seed time of [[Palestine]] ( Leviticus 26:5) for grain came regularly in November and December (Lightfoot, ''Hor. Hebr.'' p. 340, 1003; Korte, Reis. p. 432). Since the harvest began in the middle of Nisan, the time of growth and culture was about four months ( John 4:35; see Lü cke, ad loc.). But this was certainly a very general reckoning, and perhaps had become proverbial. (In this passage the word ἔτι, yet, does not seem to accord with this explanation; see also Anger, ''De Temp. Act. Ap.'' p. 24 sq.; Wieseler, ''Chronol. Synops.'' p. 216 sq.; Jacobi, in ''Stud. u. Krit.'' 1838, p. 858 sq.). (See [[Agriculture]]). </p> <p> [[Sowing]] was done by the hand, as often with us, though according to the [[Gemara]] (Baba Metsia, fol. 105) the [[Jews]] used machines also for this purpose (Otho, Lex. Rab. p. 685). The seed when sown and the young plants have more enemies in the East than even here: not only drought, hail, mice ( 1 Samuel 6:5), fire, but also grasshoppers and locusts (see these words), often destroy promising harvests. The following legal regulations are found in the Pentateuch: </p> <p> '''1.''' Two kinds of seed, as wheat and barley, must not be sown on the same land ( Leviticus 19:19; comp. Josephus, ''Ant.'' 4, 8, 20). The [[Talmudists]] (Mishna, Chilaim, 2, 8) say that between two fields sown with different seeds must intervene either fallow ground or a ditch, path, or wall; but the law does not include garden beds (ibid. 3, 1; Shab. 9, 2). Michaelis (Mos. [[R.]] 4, 320 sq.) strives to show that the lawgiver meant simply to require a careful sorting of the seed, which is recommended by the ancients as very advantageous (Virgil, Georg. 1, 193 sq.; Varro, [[R.]] [[R.]] 1, 52, 1), and which would render impossible the springing up of weeds (especially the Lolium temulentum). But this cannot be supported, and a custom so advantageous to the agriculturist did not need the authority of law. Lappenberg (in the Brem. u. Verdensch. Biblioth., 5, 937 sq.) gives a purely theological exposition of it; and perhaps other parts of the law furnish an easier explanation of this class of regulations than this one. (See [[Diverse]]). </p> <p> The more exact requirements of the rabbins will be found in the [[Mishna]] (''Chilaiz,'' ch. 1-3). They are very trifling, and sometimes show a disposition to evade the law; but even anciently it was not so strictly enforced as to prevent giving a field of barley a border of spelt ( Isaiah 28:25; see marg. [[A.V.).]] In general the rule is confined to Palestine, and the Jews do not refuse elsewhere to enjoy the fruit of mixed harvests (comp. Hottinger, ''Hebr. Leges,'' p. 376 sq.; Darsov, ''De Mirodis Seminandi Diversa Semina Hebr. Vet.'' [Viteb. 1695]). </p> <p> '''2.''' Leviticus 11:37 sq. provides that seed set apart for sowing should remain clean if the carcass of a creeping beast fell upon it; but if it had been wet, it should be made unclean, perhaps because wet seed takes up impurities far easier than dry (comp. the analogy, Leviticus 11:34). [[Similar]] is the law of purification in the Zendavesta (2, 335, Kleuker), and a similar distinction of wet and dry is observed among the Arabs still (Niebuhr, Beschs p. 40). </p> <p> By an easy metaphor, seed, as the prolific principle of future life, is taken in Scripture for posterity, whether of man, beasts, trees, etc., all of which are said to be sown and to fructify as the means of producing a succeeding generation ( Jeremiah 31:27). Hence seed denotes an individual, as [[Seth]] in the stead of [[Abel]] ( Genesis 4:25 etc.). and the whole line of descent; as the seed of Abraham, of Jacob, etc., the seed royal, etc., much in the same acceptation as children. The seed of Abraham denotes not only those who descend from him by natural issue, but those who imitate his character ( Romans 4:16), for if he be "the father of the faithful," then the faithful are his seed by character, independent of natural descent; and hence the Messiah is said to see his seed, though, in fact, Jesus left no children by descent, but by grace or conversion only ( Isaiah 53:10). This is occasionally restricted to one chief or principal seed, one who by excellence is the seed, as the seed of the woman ( Genesis 3:15; Galatians 3:16), the seed of Abraham, the seed of David — meaning the most excellent descendant of the woman, of Abraham, of David. Or understand by the "seed of the woman" the offspring of the female sex only, as verified in the supernatural conception of Jesus ( Matthew 1:18, etc.; Luke 1:26, etc.), and of which the birth of Abraham's seed (Isaac) was a figure. See below. </p> <p> Seed is likewise taken figuratively for the Word of God ( Luke 8:5; 1 Peter 1:23), for a disposition becoming a divine origin ( 1 John 3:9), and for truly pious persons ( Matthew 13:38). </p>
| |
|
| |
| ==References == | |
| <references> | | <references> |
| | | <ref name="term_57274"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/seed+(2) Seed from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref> |
| <ref name="term_79421"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/vine-s-expository-dictionary-of-nt-words/seed Seed from Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words]</ref> | |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_57275"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/seed Seed from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_172305"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/seed Seed from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_63048"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/king-james-dictionary/seed Seed from King James Dictionary]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_48784"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hawker-s-poor-man-s-concordance-and-dictionary/seed Seed from Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_198311"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/wilson-s-dictionary-of-bible-types/seed Seed from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_17310"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/american-tract-society-bible-dictionary/seed Seed from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_7968"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/seed Seed from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| <ref name="term_60046"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/seed Seed from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| </references> | | </references> |
Seed [1]
Seed. —Excluding the use of this term as equivalent to progeny, offspring , or race (cf. e.g. Mark 12:19-24, Luke 1:55, John 7:42), we find it exclusively employed in the parables of Jesus as an apt symbol for Divine influence, or for the expansion of the moral and religious life in communities or individuals.
1. In Mark 4:26-29, a parable peculiar to Mark, Jesus uses the process of sowing and the subsequent conduct of the farmer to illustrate the certain success of His Kingdom upon earth. What He preached about seemed perhaps to the disciples, as well as to outsiders, as weak as a grain of seed flung upon a field. Yet neither is an isolated or foreign thing in the world. On the side of the gospel were certain mysterious powers which would ensure it success, apart from human aid or interference. All it required was time. The order of things was a ripening order, and at the proper moment these favourable conditions would bring about the fruit and result of what at present seemed a very precarious and unpromising movement among men. Such is the general point of the parable. The seed’s vital energy and its appointed correspondence with the powers of nature symbolize features in the gospel which enable Jesus to await the future with quiet confidence and an easy mind. Neither is just what it seems to the outward eye. Each sets in action a slow but sure process of growth, upon which the sensible person will count. ‘Fruit grows thus,’ said Epictetus; ‘the seed must be buried for some time, hidden, and then grow slowly if it is to reach perfection.’ It is by an extension, or rather a special application, of this usage that the self-sacrifice of man is compared to the burying of the seed in the furrow ( John 12:23-25), with special reference to the death of Jesus Himself. The ultimate effects of such self-immolation depend on the thoroughness of the process itself.
The Kingdom is also compared to seed in the parable of the Mustard Seed ( Mark 4:30-32 = Matthew 13:31-32 = Luke 13:18-19). A small thing to begin with, it ultimately surpasses all other movements which make a greater show at first to the untrained eye. Here the Kingdom is conceived of, not eschatologically, but historically. When it is likened to ‘seed,’ the thought is mainly of the immense possibilities of growth in it, as compared with its initial size, the correspondence between it and the soul of man, and the pledge, which it contains, of some final and splendid issue.
2. Seed, on the other hand, depends to a certain extent upon soil. While essentially designed to co-operate with the vital forces of nature, it may be rendered wholly or partially barren. And in this further sense it forms a symbol for Jesus of the Divine word and its fortunes in the world of men. Consequently we find that in two other parables the seed represents not the Kingdom, but the word (cf. Matthew 13:19).
The first of these, the parable of the Sower and the Soils ( Mark 4:2 f. = Matthew 13:3 f. = Luke 8:5 f.), bears on the difficulties and disappointments encountered in the preaching of the word of God. The latter is compared to the vital germ or grain of the plant, which, through no fault of its own or of the sower, may fail to germinate, owing to the unpromising nature of the ground on which it chances to fall. Nevertheless, the work of the sower must proceed. The partial failure of his efforts is not to render his career or calling void. In the parable itself, which is undoubtedly genuine, the original reference is to the experiences of Jesus Himself as a preacher. ‘Jesus has to preach; the rest is God’s concern’ (Wellhausen). But in the subsequent interpretation of the parable, which, like other interpretations, must be held to contain in whole or part reflexions of the Apostolic age and traces of the editor’s hand, the scope widens to include the general preaching of Christian evangelists, who are counselled not to let themselves be daunted by finding the unsympathetic and the preoccupied among their hearers. The seed must be sown. The word must be trusted to do its work in congenial hearts. The teaching must be imparted. Such is the supreme lesson for evangelists drawn here by Jesus from the vegetable world.
The other parable is that of the Tares, or darnel ( Matthew 13:24 f.), which may be an allegorized variation, and in part an expansion, of the ideas contained in Mark 4:26-29. Certainly, whatever be the original nucleus, the editorial reflexions indicate a rather advanced period in the history of the early Church’s mission and discipline. Growth, here too, is a partial feature of the situation. But the seed or word is further exposed to deliberate and widespread corruption and rivalry. Another power of influence is stealthily at work among men. God’s message finds no virgin soil, for the growth of the seed is thwarted; and specious, vigorous rivals abound.
Both of the latter parables, in so far as they emphasize the nature of God’s word or message as seed, thus touch wisely and earnestly on its mysterious power of growth. The spoken word is essentially fruitful. It is the instrument of the Divine mission. ‘We forget too often that language is both a seed-sowing and a revelation,’ says Amiel. ‘Man is a husbandman; his whole work rightly understood is to develop life, to sow it everywhere.’ And the supreme method is the contact of one personality with another, especially through the medium of that spoken intercourse which conveys the truth of God to the soul of man. This, and no external means, is the chosen way of Jesus.
Literature.—In addition to the critical editors on the passages above cited, and writers on the Parables (especially Trench, Bruce, Jülicher, and Godet), cf. T. G. Selby, Ministry of the Lord Jesus , p. 157 f.; Keim, Jesus of Nazara , iv. p. 138 f.; and J. Rendel Harris, Union with God , p. 171 f.
J. Moffatt.
References
