Greek word · G4703

σπόρος

sporos

seed

Seed for sowing, and sometimes the act of sowing itself. It is related to the verb speirō, 'to sow.' It differs a little from sperma, the more general word for seed, which also means offspring or descendants.

Appears 6 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σπόρος, -ου, ὁ

(σπείρω), [in LXX chiefly for זֶרַע ;]

= σπορά,

1. sowing or seedtime.

2. seed sown (so usually in late Gk.): Mark 4:26-27, Luke 8:5, 11, 2 Corinthians 9:10 a (LTr.); metaphorically, of almsgiving, 2 Corinthians 9:10 b.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Luke 8:11

Range of meaning

Seed for sowing, and sometimes the act of sowing itself. It is related to the verb speirō, 'to sow.' It differs a little from sperma, the more general word for seed, which also means offspring or descendants.

Against the English

'Seed' is accurate. Luke chose sporos, where Matthew and Mark build their explanation around the verb 'sow' (Mark 4:14, 'the sower sows the word'). Luke's choice puts the weight on the seed itself, not on the sower.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in the Gospels only here and at Luke 8:5. Paul uses it in 2 Cor 9:10, quoting Isaiah 55:10 ('he who supplies seed to the sower'). In Greek writers of the time it is the normal farming word for seed grain.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 9:10

Range of meaning

Seed for sowing. It can also mean the act or season of sowing. Compare Luke 8:5, 11: 'the seed is the word of God.'

Against the English

BSB 'store of seed' and ESV/NASB 'seed for sowing' make clear it is seed kept to plant. KJV/YLT 'seed sown' looks at seed already planted. Both fit the sowing picture.

How it drifted

In modern 'seed-faith' preaching, 'seed' has come to mean money given with the expectation of a personal financial return. Paul's image points the other way, as the effect section explains.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 55:10 in the Greek Old Testament reads 'give seed (sperma) to the sower and bread for eating'. Paul uses sporos, but the wording otherwise closely follows Isaiah. Farmers in the ancient Mediterranean had to keep back part of each harvest as seed corn instead of eating it, which was a real choice in lean years.

From the study of Luke 8:5

Range of meaning

(1) The act of sowing, or sowing-time. (2) Seed set aside for sowing, as opposed to grain for eating. (3) By extension, a crop. In the NT it always means seed for sowing.

Against the English

English “seed” fits. What English loses is the difference from sperma (also “seed,” and often “offspring/descendants”). Sporos is specifically agricultural seed headed for the soil.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament it appears for seed and sowing (e.g., Deut 11:10, “where you sowed your seed”). Paul combines it with Isaiah 55:10 in 2 Cor 9:10: “he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food.” That verse shows the standing contrast between grain to sow and grain to eat. Mark 4:26–27 uses it for the seed that grows secretly.

Where it appears

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 4:26 σπόρον seed

    Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

    Here: Seed meant for sowing, not grain to eat. It is the subject of the growth that follows: "the seed sprouts and grows" (v.27).

  2. Mark 4:27 σπόρος seed

    Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:5 σπόρον seed

    “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.

    Here: Seed grain set aside for sowing, not grain for eating. Only Luke names the seed in this opening line, and he uses the same word when Jesus explains the parable: “the seed is the word of God” (8:11).

  2. Luke 8:11 σπόρος seed

    Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

    Here: Seed as something scattered and sown, the same word used in 8:5. The picture is of seed thrown by hand across a field, with no control over where each grain lands.

2 Corinthians · 2

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:10 σπόρον σπόρον seed, seed for sowing

    Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.

    Here: Seed grain for planting. Paul takes this from Isaiah 55:10, where the Greek Old Testament has the related word sperma.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.