Luke 13:6 Then Jesus told this parable: "A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

◄ Luke 13:6 ►

New International Version
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.

New Living Translation
Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.

English Standard Version
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.

Berean Literal Bible
And He was speaking this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it, and not did find any.

King James Bible
He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

New King James Version
He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

New American Standard Bible
And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.

NASB 1995
And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.

NASB 1977
And He began telling this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find any.

Amplified Bible
Then He began telling them this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find any;

Christian Standard Bible
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And He told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.

American Standard Version
And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus then told them this story: A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any.

English Revised Version
And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Jesus used this illustration: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on the tree but didn't find any.

Good News Translation
Then Jesus told them this parable: "There was once a man who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went looking for figs on it but found none.

International Standard Version
Then Jesus told them this parable: "A man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but didn't find any.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

NET Bible
Then Jesus told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

New Heart English Bible
He spoke this parable. "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.

Webster's Bible Translation
He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.

Weymouth New Testament
And He gave them the following parable. "A man," He said, "who had a fig-tree growing in his garden came to look for fruit on it and could find none.

World English Bible
He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And He spoke this allegory: “A certain one had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit in it, and he did not find;

Berean Literal Bible
And He was speaking this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it, and not did find any.

Young's Literal Translation
And he spake this simile: 'A certain one had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit in it, and he did not find;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he spake this parable: A certain had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it, and found not.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he also told this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree, which was planted in his vineyard. And he came seeking fruit on it, but found none.

New American Bible
And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,

New Revised Standard Version
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And he spoke this parable; A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit on it, and he did not find any.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and he found none.

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
And he spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree that was planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.

Godbey New Testament
And He spoke this parable, A certain one had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and came seeking fruit on it and found none;

Haweis New Testament
Then he spake this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came, expecting fruit on it, and found none.

Mace New Testament
He proposed likewise this parable: a certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came expecting it should have had fruit, but he found none.

Weymouth New Testament
And He gave them the following parable. "A man," He said, "who had a fig-tree growing in his garden came to look for fruit on it and could find none.

Worrell New Testament
And He spake this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.

Worsley New Testament
And He spake this parable, A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, but found none.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
5No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 6Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Matthew 21:18-19
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. / Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

Mark 11:12-14
The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. / Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. / Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

Isaiah 5:1-7
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Jeremiah 8:13
I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

Hosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. / You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ...

Matthew 3:10
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Romans 11:17-24
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ...

Psalm 80:8-16
You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it. / You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. / The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ...

Micah 7:1
Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

Matthew 12:33
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Mark 4:3-9
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. / And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. / Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ...

John 1:47-50
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” / “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” / “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ...

Ezekiel 15:1-8
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest? / Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? ...

Treasury of Scripture

He spoke also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

fig-tree.

Psalm 80:8-13
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it…

Isaiah 5:1-4
Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: …

Jeremiah 2:21
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

and he came.

Luke 20:10-14
And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty…

Matthew 21:34-40
And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it…

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

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Luke 13

1. Jesus preaches repentance upon the punishment of the Galilaeans and others.
6. The fruitless fig tree may not stand.
10. He heals the crooked woman;
18. shows the powerful working of the word, by the parable of the grain of mustard seed,
20. and of leaven;
22. exhorts to enter in at the strait gate;
31. and reproves Herod and Jerusalem.

Berean Study Bible

Then Jesus told this parable
The use of parables by Jesus is a hallmark of His teaching method, designed to convey deep spiritual truths through simple, relatable stories. The Greek word for parable, "παραβολή" (parabolē), means a comparison or analogy. Parables were a common teaching tool in Jewish culture, allowing listeners to engage with the narrative and uncover layers of meaning. In this context, Jesus uses the parable to illustrate a spiritual lesson about repentance and divine patience.

A man had a fig tree
The fig tree is a significant symbol in the Bible, often representing Israel or God's people. In the Old Testament, the fig tree is frequently used as a metaphor for prosperity and blessing (e.g., Micah 4:4). The Greek word for fig tree, "συκῆ" (sykē), emphasizes the expectation of fruitfulness. The man in the parable represents God, who has rightful ownership and expectation of fruit from His creation.

that was planted in his vineyard
The vineyard is another rich biblical symbol, often representing the nation of Israel or the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 5:1-7). The Greek word for vineyard, "ἀμπελὼν" (ampelōn), suggests a place of cultivation and care. The planting of the fig tree in the vineyard indicates intentionality and purpose, highlighting God's investment in His people and His desire for them to bear fruit.

He went to look for fruit on it
The act of looking for fruit signifies God's rightful expectation of spiritual fruitfulness from His people. The Greek verb "ζητέω" (zēteō) means to seek or search diligently. This reflects God's active involvement in the lives of His people, seeking evidence of their faith and obedience. The expectation of fruit is a recurring theme in Scripture, symbolizing the visible manifestation of a righteous life.

but did not find any
The absence of fruit is a sobering reminder of the consequences of spiritual barrenness. The Greek phrase "οὐχ εὗρεν" (ouch heuren) indicates a thorough search that yields no results. This lack of fruitfulness can be seen as a call to repentance and self-examination. In the broader context of Jesus' ministry, it serves as a warning to those who hear His message but fail to respond with genuine faith and transformation.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) A certain man had a fig tree.--The parable stands obviously in very close connection with the foregoing teaching. The people had been warned of the danger of perishing, unless they repented. They are now taught that the forbearance and long-suffering of God are leading them to repentance. The sharp warning of the Baptist, "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down" (Matthew 3:10), is expanded into a parable. As regards the outward framework of the story, we have only to note that the joint culture of the fig-tree and the vine was so common as to have passed into a proverb (2Kings 18:31; Song of Solomon 2:13). The interpretation of the parable as to its general drift is easy enough. The barren fig-tree is the symbol of a fruitless profession of godliness; the delay represents the forbearance of God in allowing yet a time for repentance. When we come to details, however, serious difficulties present themselves. If we take the fig-tree as representing Israel, what are we to make of the vineyard? If the owner of the vineyard be Christ, who is the vine-dresser? Do the three years refer to the actual duration of our Lord's ministry? Answers to these questions will be found in the following considerations:--(1) The vineyard is uniformly in the parabolic language of Scripture the symbol of Israel. (See Note on Matthew 21:33.) (2) The owner of that vineyard is none other than the great King, the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 5:7). (3) If this be so, then the fig-tree must stand for something else than Israel as a nation, and the context points to its being the symbol of the individual soul, which inheriting its place in a divine order, is as a tree planted in the garden of the Lord. (Comp. Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 18:8.) (4) The "three years" in which the owner comes seeking fruit can, on this view, answer neither to the three stages of Revelation--Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Prophetic--nor the three years of our Lord's ministry, but represent, as the symbol of completeness, the full opportunities given to men, the calls to repentance and conversion which come to them in the several stages of their lives in youth, manhood, age. (5) The dresser of the vineyard, following the same line of thought, is the Lord Jesus Himself, who intercedes, as for the nation as a whole, so for each individual member of the nation. He pleads for delay. He will do what can be done by "digging" into the fallow ground of the soul, and by imparting new sources of nourishment or fruitfulness. If these avail, well. If not, the fig-tree, by implication every fig-tree in the vineyard that continued barren, would be cut down. . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - He spake also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. And then, without any further prelude, Jesus spoke this parable of the barren fig tree, which contained, in language scarcely veiled at all, warnings to Israel as a nation - the most sombre and threatening he had yet given utterance to. "Hear, O people," said the Master. "In the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is a fig tree, long planted there, but utterly unfruitful. It is now on its last trial; indeed, were it not for the intercession of the Gardener, the Lord of the vineyard had already pronounced its final doom." "The very intercession, though, is ominous; the Vinedresser shows his mercifulness by deprecating immediate cutting down, but the careful specification of conditions, and the limitation of the period within which experiments are to be made, intimate that peril is imminent... The restriction of the intercession of the Vinedresser for a single year's grace indicates Christ's own sympathy with this Divine rigour... The Vinedresser knows that, though God is long-suffering, yet his patience as exhibited in the history of his dealings with men is exhaustible, and that in Israel's case it is now all but worn out. And he sympathizes with the Divine impatience with chronic and incurable sterility" (Professor Bruce). A fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. It is not an uncommon practice to plant fig trees at the corners of vineyards, thus utilizing every available spot of ground. Still the Lord's choice of a fig tree as the symbol of Israel, the chosen people, is at first sight strange. This image was no doubt selected to show those Pharisees and other Jews, proud of what they considered their unassailable position as the elect of the Eternal, that, after all, the position they occupied was but that of a fig tree in the corner of the vineyard of the world - planted there and watched over so long as it promised to serve the Lord of the vineyard's purpose; if it ceased to do that, if it gave no further promise of fruit, then it would be ruthlessly cut down.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Then
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

[Jesus] told
Ἔλεγεν (Elegen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

this
ταύτην (tautēn)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

parable:
παραβολήν (parabolēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3850: From paraballo; a similitude, i.e. fictitious narrative, apothegm or adage.

“A [man]
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

had
εἶχέν (eichen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

a fig tree
Συκῆν (Sykēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4808: A fig-tree. From sukon; a fig-tree.

that was planted
πεφυτευμένην (pephyteumenēn)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5452: To plant, set. From a derivative of phuo; to set out in the earth, i.e. Implant; figuratively, to instil doctrine.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

vineyard.
ἀμπελῶνι (ampelōni)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 290: A vineyard. From ampelos; a vineyard.

He went
ἦλθεν (ēlthen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to look for
ζητῶν (zētōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2212: To seek, search for, desire, require, demand. Of uncertain affinity; to seek; specially, to worship, or to plot.

fruit
καρπὸν (karpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2590: Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit, literally or figuratively.

on
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

it,
αὐτῇ (autē)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

[but]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

did not find [any].
εὗρεν (heuren)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2147: A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.

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NT Gospels: Luke 13:6 He spoke this parable (Luke Lu Lk)