| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with alla de {ἄλλα δὲ | álla dè} marking a shift within the parable’s sequence. The aorist verb epesen {ἔπεσεν | épesen} ‘it fell’ appears in the singular with a neuter plural subject, a typical Greek concord pattern for collective or abstract plurals. The location phrase epi ta petrodē {ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη | epì tà petrṓdē} uses an accusative of place to specify “upon the rocky places.” The relative adverb hopou {ὅπου | hópou} introduces a qualifying clause hopou ouk eîchen gēn pollḗn {ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν | hópou ouk eîchen gēn pollḗn} ‘where it did not have much soil,’ with the imperfect tense conveying a continuing lack of depth. The conjunction kai links to the rapid result expressed by eutheōs exanéteilen {εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν | euthéōs exanéteilen} ‘and immediately it sprang up,’ where the adverb highlights sudden growth. The causal articular infinitive dia tò mḕ échein báthos gēs {διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς | diá tò mḕ échein báthos gēs} explains why: the ground lacked sufficient depth. In the formal rendering, the singular pronoun “it” maintains the Greek agreement and clause order. In the dynamic rendering, the singular “it” preserves the Greek subject while using more idiomatic phrasing to convey the rapid sprouting and the insufficient soil layer. |