Matthew 12:40

12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish 1  for three days and three nights, 2  so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Matthew 13:19

13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one 3  comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; 4  this is the seed sown along the path.

1 tn Grk “large sea creature.”

2 sn A quotation from Jonah 1:17.

3 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

4 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.