2215. zizanion

Lexical Summary

zizanion: Tares, Weeds

Original Word: ζιζάνιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: zizanion
Pronunciation: dziz-an'-ee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (dziz-an'-ee-on)
KJV: tares
NASB: tares
Word Origin: [of uncertain origin]

1. darnel, a poisonous ryegrass weed (a false grain)
2. (specially) darnel, a weed that greatly resembles wheat until ripe. Close examination will often fail to discern the difference until its black grain appears. It is most toxic just before harvest. Its poison causes lethargy, deep sleep, and even death
3. (figuratively) wicked people sown by Satan amidst the Saints of God, that until harvest, have a resemblence of godliness (but you shall know them by their fruit)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

tares.

Of uncertain origin; darnel or false grain -- tares.

HELPS Word-studies

2215 zizánion (plural, tares/zizania) – a tare (darnel); (figuratively) a pseudo-believer (false Christian); a fruitless person living without faith from God and therefore is "all show and no go!"

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
probably of Sumer. origin
Definition
zizanium (a kind of darnel resembling wheat)
NASB Translation
tares (8).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2215: ζιζάνιον

ζιζάνιον, ζιζανιου, τό (doubtless a word of Semitic origin; Arabic , Syriac )NzYz [] (see Schaaf, Lex. under the word, p. 148), Talmud זֲוָנִין or זוּנִין; Suidas ζιζάνιον. ἡ ἐν τῷ σίτῳ αἰρα), zizanium (A. V. tares), a kind of darnel, bastard wheat (but see references below), resembling wheat except that the grains are black: Matthew 13:25-27, 29f, 38, 38, 40. (Geoponica (for references see B. D. American edition, p. 3177 note)). Cf. Winers RWB under the word Lolch; Furrer in Schenkel B. L. 4:57; (B. D., and Tristram, Nat. Hist. of the Bible, under the word ).

Topical Lexicon

Agricultural Background

The term designates a poisonous look-alike grain that ancient farmers dreaded. Its early growth is nearly indistinguishable from wheat, but as the heads mature the kernels darken, become lighter in weight, and can cause dizziness or nausea if ground into flour. Roman law actually forbade the malicious sowing of such weeds in an enemy’s field, underscoring the realism of Jesus’ imagery.

Occurrences in Scripture

The noun appears only in Matthew and only in the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). Eight forms are used: Matthew 13:25; 13:26; 13:27; 13:29; 13:30; 13:36; 13:38; 13:40. Every instance occurs on the lips of Jesus or in His narrative commentary, showing that the whole theological weight of the word is carried by the parable itself.

Immediate Literary Context: The Parable of the Weeds

The account follows the Parable of the Sower and is paired with several kingdom parables that stress hidden or gradual growth. In the parable the kingdom is like a field where the owner sows good seed, but an enemy sows weeds. When servants discover the intrusion, the master forbids premature uprooting lest wheat be destroyed with the weeds. Instead he orders them both to grow together until harvest, when reapers will separate and burn the weeds.

Key quotations:
• Matthew 13:25: “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.”
• Matthew 13:30: “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
• Matthew 13:40-42 links the burning of the weeds with “the end of the age,” “the fiery furnace,” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Spiritual Significance: A Mixed Field

1. Visible Church vs. Invisible Church: The weeds represent “sons of the evil one” (Matthew 13:38), indicating that the kingdom community on earth contains genuine believers and counterfeit professors side by side.
2. Divine Forbearance: The Master’s refusal to uproot the weeds prematurely illustrates God’s long-suffering and His reluctance to harm even potential wheat.
3. Final Separation: The certainty of a harvest affirms God’s ultimate justice; false discipleship will not escape final exposure.

Kingdom Theology

Jesus reveals that the kingdom in its present phase is contested space. Evil is not eradicated immediately upon the kingdom’s arrival but is permitted for a season so that grace may run its full course. The parable therefore balances triumphal expectation with sober realism about ongoing spiritual warfare.

Ecclesiological Implications

• Discernment without presumption. Human servants may misidentify wheat and weeds, and overzealous purging can damage true believers.
• Church discipline remains biblical (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5), yet the parable cautions against absolutizing institutional purity and recognizes the limits of human judgment.
• Mission continues amid mixture. The presence of counterfeit faith does not invalidate genuine gospel advance.

Moral Warnings

The likeness between wheat and weeds challenges professing believers to examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). External similarity is insufficient; fruit at maturity reveals nature. The parable also warns against complacency: coexistence is temporary.

Eschatological Assurance

Jesus, “the Son of Man,” will send His angels to execute the harvest (Matthew 13:41). This guarantees that judgment belongs to God, not man, and that righteousness will be vindicated. The righteous will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

Connections with Old Testament Expectation

Imagery of harvest and burning chaff resonates with Psalm 1:4, Isaiah 5:24, and Malachi 4:1-2. The parable therefore stands within a prophetic continuum affirming that God separates the righteous from the wicked at the climactic Day of the LORD.

Use in Early Church Tradition

Patristic writers such as Augustine cited the parable to explain the church’s mixed composition, opposing Donatist rigorism. The weeds motif thus shaped ecclesial self-understanding from the earliest centuries.

Practical Ministry Application

• Preaching: Underscore the reality of counterfeit belief and the need for personal regeneration.
• Pastoral Care: Encourage patience with immature believers; true wheat will eventually bear recognizable grain.
• Evangelism: The enemy actively sows deception; evangelists must plant gospel seed with vigilance and prayer.
• Counseling: Assure suffering saints that God sees injustice and will rectify it at harvest time.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 2215 paints a vivid picture of counterfeit faith within the visible covenant community. By commanding His servants to let weeds and wheat grow together, Jesus affirms God’s patient mercy, cautions against rash judgment, and promises an unmistakable, divinely executed separation at the end of the age. The word therefore calls believers to humble self-examination, steadfast hope, and faithful ministry in a world where appearance and reality often intermingle until the Harvest.

Forms and Transliterations

ζιζανια ζιζάνια ζιζάνιά ζιζανιων ζιζανίων ζίου zizania zizánia zizániá zizanion zizaniōn zizaníon zizaníōn

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 13:25 N-ANP
GRK: καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον
NAS: came and sowed tares among the wheat,
KJV: and sowed tares among the wheat,
INT: and sowed weeds in [the] midst

Matthew 13:26 N-NNP
GRK: καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια
NAS: then the tares became evident
KJV: then appeared the tares also.
INT: also the weeds

Matthew 13:27 N-ANP
GRK: οὖν ἔχει ζιζάνια
NAS: then does it have tares?'
KJV: then hath it tares?
INT: then has it the weeds

Matthew 13:29 N-ANP
GRK: συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα
NAS: for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot
KJV: while ye gather up the tares, ye root up
INT: gathering the weeds you should uproot with

Matthew 13:30 N-ANP
GRK: πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε
NAS: gather up the tares and bind
KJV: first the tares, and
INT: first the weeds and bind

Matthew 13:36 N-GNP
GRK: παραβολὴν τῶν ζιζανίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ
NAS: to us the parable of the tares of the field.
KJV: the parable of the tares of the field.
INT: parable of the weeds of the field

Matthew 13:38 N-NNP
GRK: τὰ δὲ ζιζάνιά εἰσιν οἱ
NAS: of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons
KJV: but the tares are
INT: and [the] weeds are the

Matthew 13:40 N-NNP
GRK: συλλέγεται τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ πυρὶ
NAS: just as the tares are gathered
KJV: therefore the tares are gathered
INT: is gathered the weeds and in fire

Strong's Greek 2215
8 Occurrences

ζιζάνια — 7 Occ.
ζιζανίων — 1 Occ.