πετρώδης

From the study of Matthew 13:20

Range of meaning

'Rocky' or 'stony', describing ground or terrain. Used as a noun (τὸ πετρῶδες, 'the rocky place'), it means ground with a rock base. BDAG explains the New Testament use as rock thinly covered with soil.

Against the English

KJV 'stony places' and the common phrase 'stony ground' can bring to mind a field full of loose stones. Modern versions say 'rocky ground/places', which is closer, but none of them spells out what the parable itself says: there is soil, just not much of it, over solid rock.

How it drifted

In everyday English 'stony' suggests pebbles or stones scattered through the earth. The Greek picture, made explicit in v. 5 and Mark 4:5 ('where it did not have much soil'), is a shelf of bedrock under a thin layer of soil.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found in classical Greek for rocky terrain. In the New Testament it appears only in this parable (Matt 13:5, 20; Mark 4:5, 16). Luke has 'upon the rock' (ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, 8:6, 13) instead, which supports the bedrock reading.

From the study of Mark 4:16

Range of meaning

'Rock-like, rocky'. Built from petra ('rock, bedrock') with the suffix -ōdēs ('having the nature of'). In farming it describes ground where bedrock lies just under the surface. As a noun with the article, 'the rocky places'.

Against the English

The KJV's 'stony ground' and the common 'rocky soil' can suggest a field strewn with loose stones that a farmer could pick out. Mark's own description in 4:5 ('where it did not have much soil… because it had no depth of earth') shows the problem is depth: a shallow layer of soil over solid rock.

How it drifted

In English, 'stony' most naturally suggests scattered stones. The Greek points to rock underneath.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is rare in the New Testament and occurs only in this parable (Mark 4:5, 16; Matt 13:5, 20). Luke's version says simply 'on the rock' (epi tēn petran, Luke 8:6, 13), which confirms the bedrock picture. Classical and Hellenistic writers use petrōdēs for rocky, thin-soiled terrain. In Galilee the limestone and basalt bedrock often comes to within a few inches of the surface along hillside field edges.

From the study of Matthew 13:5

Range of meaning

An adjective meaning "rocky, stony, rock-like", built from petra (rock, especially solid rock or bedrock, a rock-face or cliff) and the ending -ōdēs ("full of / like"). Used as a noun ("the rocky [ground]"), it describes terrain where rock dominates.

Against the English

KJV "stony places" and older "stony ground" can make a modern reader picture a field with loose stones mixed through the soil. BSB/WEB/ESV "rocky ground" and NASB/NIV "rocky places" are closer. NLT turns it into a description: shallow soil with underlying rock.

How it drifted

In everyday English "stony" suggests pebbles or scattered stones. The Greek word comes from petra (bedrock), and the verse's own wording ("not much soil", "no depth of soil") shows the problem is a thin skin of earth over rock.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT it occurs only in this parable (Matt 13:5, 20; Mark 4:5, 16). Luke's version of the same parable simply says the seed fell "on the rock" (epi tēn petran, Luke 8:6) and adds that it lacked moisture. That confirms the picture of rock under shallow soil. The word is used in classical and Hellenistic Greek for rocky terrain.