Matthew 13 · Verse 29

Matthew 13:29

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:29, King James Version

Matthew 13:29 in other translations

BSB‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
WEB“But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.
ASVBut he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.
YLT‘And he said, No, lest--gathering up the darnel--ye root up with it the wheat,
DARBYBut he said, No; lest in gathering the darnel ye should root up the wheat with it.
BBEBut he says, No, for fear that by chance while you take up the evil plants, you may be rooting up the grain with them.
WebsterBut he said, No; lest while ye gather the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

What does Matthew 13:29 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
29. But he said, Nay--"It will be done in due time, but not now, nor is it your business." lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them--Nothing could more clearly or forcibly teach the difficulty of distinguishing the two classes, and the high probability that in the attempt to do so these will be confounded.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 29. Ye root up also the wheat. They so much resembled the true wheat, that even then it would be difficult to separate them. By gathering them, they would tread down the wheat, loosen and disturb the earth, and greatly injure the crop. In the harvest it could be done without injury.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 29 But he said, Nay - God judges quite otherwise than men of this mixture of good and evil in the world; he knows the good which he intends to produce from it, and how far his patience towards the wicked should extend, in order to their conversion, or the farther sanctification of the righteous. Men often persecute a true Christian, while they intend only to prosecute an impious person. "A zeal for the extirpation of heretics and wicked men," said a pious Papist, "not regulated by these words of our blessed Savior, allows no time for the one to grow strong in goodness, or to the other to forsake their evil courses. They are of a spirit very opposite to his, who care not if they root up the wheat, provided they can but gather up the tares." The zeal which leads persons to persecute others for religious opinions is not less a seed of the devil than a bad opinion itself is.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 13:24-30

, 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when good seed is sown, it must be tended…

Read the full comment on Matthew 13:24-30 →

Matthew 13:29 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὁho<the>G3588
δέdeAndG1161
φησιν·phēsinhe says;G5346
οὔ,ouNo,G3756
μήποτεmēpotelest whenG3361
συλλέγοντεςsullegontesgatheringG4816
τὰtatheG3588
ζιζάνιαzizaniaweedsG2215
ἐκριζώσητεekrizōsēteyou may uprootG1610
ἅμαhamatogether [with]G260
αὐτοῖςautoisthemG846
τὸνtontheG3588
σῖτον.sitonwheat.G4621

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Context

  • Matthew 13:28

    He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

  • Matthew 13:29

    But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

  • Matthew 13:30

    Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Read all of Matthew 13

Matthew 13:29 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y él dijo: No; porque cogiendo la cizaña, no arranquéis también con ella el trigo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il dit: Non, de peur qu’en cueillant l’ivraie, vous ne déraciniez le froment avec elle.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Er aber sprach: Nein, damit ihr nicht etwa beim Zusammenlesen des Unkrauts zugleich mit demselben den Weizen ausraufet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ait: Non: ne forte colligentes zizania, eradicetis simul cum eis et triticum.