speirō · sow

What it means

speirō (σπείρω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “sow”.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To scatter seed on the ground.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To sow: to put the seed into the ground. Jesus uses it in parables for the word that is sown, and Paul for what one does and later reaps, and for the body that dies and is raised. Of the same family is σπέρμα, ‘seed, offspring’ (G4690).

• “The sower went out to sow”: the parable Matthew 13:3Mark 4:14Luke 8:5
• Sowing and reaping: what one does comes back to him Galatians 6:72 Corinthians 9:6
• “One sows and another reaps” John 4:37
• “It is sown in decay”: the body 1 Corinthians 15:421 Corinthians 15:36
• The birds do not sow Matthew 6:26

How we translate it

The verb ‘sow’ in all its forms: “sown” 17 times, “sow” 13, “sows” 9, “sowed” 7. The participle is rendered “sower” when it is the character of the parable (6: “the sower went out to sow”), and “the one who sows” when it is a general rule (2 Corinthians 9:6).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• sown ×17
• sow ×13
• sows ×9
• sowed ×7
• sower ×6

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×17
• Mark×12
• Luke×6
• John×2
• 1 Corinthians×8
• 2 Corinthians×3
• Galatians×3
• James×1

• Matthew 6:26

  Look at the birds of the sky: they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

• Matthew 13:3

  And he told them many things in parables, saying, “Look, the sower went out to sow.

• Matthew 13:4

  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up.

• Matthew 13:18

  So you, hear the parable of the sower.

• Matthew 13:19

  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is the one sown along the path.

• Matthew 13:20

  And the one sown on the rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy;

• Matthew 13:22

  And the one sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

• Matthew 13:23

  And the one sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”

• Matthew 13:24

  He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven has become like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

• Matthew 13:27

  And the slaves of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where does it get darnel?’

• Matthew 13:31

  He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard, which a man took and sowed in his field;

• Matthew 13:37

  He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

• Matthew 13:39

  and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

• Matthew 25:24

  And the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter;

• Matthew 25:26

  But his master answered him, ‘Wicked and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter?

• Mark 4:3

  “Listen! Look, the sower went out to sow.

• Mark 4:4

  And it happened as he sowed that some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

• Mark 4:14

  The sower sows the word.

• Mark 4:15

  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; and when they hear, at once Satan comes and takes away the word that has been sown in them.

• Mark 4:16

  And likewise these are the ones sown on the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, at once receive it with joy;

• Mark 4:18

  And others are the ones sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

• Mark 4:20

  And those are the ones sown on the good soil, who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred.”

• Mark 4:31

  It is like a grain of mustard, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds that are on the earth;

• Mark 4:32

  and when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

• Luke 8:5

  “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up.

• Luke 12:24

  Consider the ravens, that they do not sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more are you worth than the birds!

• Luke 19:21

  for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man: you take what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’

• Luke 19:22

  He says to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, wicked slave! You knew that I am a harsh man, taking what I did not put down and reaping what I did not sow?

• John 4:36

  the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together.

• John 4:37

  For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’

• 1 Corinthians 9:11

  If we sowed spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we will reap your material things?

• 1 Corinthians 15:36

  You fool! What you sow is not made alive unless it dies.

• 1 Corinthians 15:37

  And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some of the rest.

• 1 Corinthians 15:42

  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in decay, it is raised in imperishability;

• 1 Corinthians 15:43

  it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

• 1 Corinthians 15:44

  it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

• 2 Corinthians 9:6

  And remember this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows with blessings will also reap with blessings.

• 2 Corinthians 9:10

  Now the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness;

• Galatians 6:7

  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap;

• Galatians 6:8

  because the one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

And 12 more times.