Day 51 of 75 · Parables and teaching

Z-R-ʿ

zarʿa: seed

זרע · זרעא

ܙܪܥ · ܙܰܪܥܳܐ

The feel

Z-R-ʿ is the root of sowing. Zarʿa is seed, and it also means offspring, a person's children and descendants. The verb means to sow, and the sower is zaruʿa. They are farm words from the fields of Galilee.

The root family

Form	Pattern	Transliteration	Script	Standard	Qala rendering
Verb, "to sow"	peal imperfect, "that he might sow"	dnezruʿ	דנזרוע ܕ݁ܢܶܙܪܽܘܥ	to sow seed	to sow · to scatter seed
Noun, "seed"	emphatic noun	zarʿā	זרעא ܙܰܪܥܳܐ	seed	seed · offspring · descendants
Agent noun, "sower"	doer pattern	zāruʿā	זרועא ܙܳܪܽܘܥܳܐ	sower	the sower (Mt 13:3)

In the Gospels the verb appears in the Peal, zraʿ, to sow, as dazraʿ, "who sows" (Matthew 13:37), and dnezruʿ, "to sow" (Matthew 13:3).

In his voice

Matthew 13:3

And he told them many things in parables. "Look," he said, "a sower went out to sow.

zāruʿā … dnezruʿ, "a sower … to sow." The man and his work come from one root, in the sentence that opens the chapter of parables.

Matthew 13:37

He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

dazraʿ … zarʿā ṭābā, "who sows … the good seed." Verb and noun stand side by side. In the next verse the good seed is people, "the children of the reign."

Mark 4:26

And he said: "The reign of God is like this. A man scatters seed on the ground.

zarʿā, "seed." In this short parable the man only scatters the seed, and it grows without him.

Practice

Think of one thing you have sown recently, such as a kind word, an apology, or a piece of honest work, and leave the result alone today. Say zarʿa, seed, aloud.

Connections

Ḥ-Ṣ-D (Day 52)P-ʿ-L (Day 53)zārʿin zarʿā

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