And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits.

And he spake a simile unto them, saying, 'Of a certain rich man the field brought forth well;

And He spoke a parable to them. "A certain rich man's lands," He said, "yielded abundant crops,

And he said to them, in a story, The land of a certain man of great wealth was very fertile:

Then he spoke to them using a comparison, saying: "The fertile land of a certain wealthy man produced crops.

Then Jesus told them this parable – "There was once a rich man whose land was very fertile;

And he spoke a parable to them This parable presents to us, as in a mirror, a lively portrait of this sentiment, that men do not live by their abundance. Since the life even of the richest men is taken away in a moment, what avails it that they have accumulated great wealth? All acknowledge it to be true, so that Christ says nothing here but what is perfectly common, and what every man has constantly in his mouth. But where is the man that honestly believes it? Do not all, on the contrary, regulate their life, and arrange their schemes and employments in such a manner as to withdraw to the greatest distance from God, making their life to rest on a present abundance of good things? It is therefore necessary that all should immediately arouse themselves, lest, by imagining their happiness to consist in riches, they entangle themselves in the snares of covetousness. This parable shows us, first, that the present life is short and transitory. Secondly, it points out to us, that riches are of no avail for prolonging life. We must add a third, which is not expressed, but may easily be inferred from the other two; that it is a most excellent remedy for believers, to ask from the Lord their daily bread, and to rely on his providence alone, whether they are rich or poor.

A parable - See the notes at Matthew 13:3.
Plentifully - His land was fertile, and produced even beyond his expectations, and beyond what he had provided for.

The ground of a certain rich man, etc. - He had generally what is called good luck in his farm, and this was a remarkably plentiful year.

(6) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The (e) ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
(6) There are none more mad than rich men who depend upon their riches.
(e) Or rather country, for here is set forth a man that possesses not only a piece of ground, but a whole country, as they do who join house to house, and field to field; (Isaiah 5:8).

And he spake a parable unto them, saying,.... He supposed the following case, and made use of it by way of illustration of what he had said:
the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; who notwithstanding his riches, was but a fool, as the sequel shows; rich men are not always wise in things natural and civil; and very few of them are spiritually wise, or wise in spiritual things, in things which relate to the welfare of their souls; but however, this man was very prosperous in his worldly affairs, as a man of a small share of common sense may be, and wicked men often are: the word translated "ground", signifies a "region", or "country", which expresses the more, the riches of this man, that he had not a common and ordinary farm, but a whole country as it were; at least a very large part of one, and all this fruitful.

a certain rich man, &c.--Why is this man called a "fool?" (Luke 12:20) (1) Because he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human felicity. (2) Because, possessing the means of this, through prosperity in his calling, he flattered himself that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, and nothing to do but give himself up to it. Nothing else is laid to his charge.

He spake a parable. To show that riches do not secure one from evil.
A certain rich man. There is no intimation that his wealth was unjustly secured.
What shall I do? A common perplexity of the rich. They do not know what to do with their surplus wealth, though the needs of humanity call for it.
There will I bestow my goods. In his enlarged storehouses. He will hoard his goods. Here was the beginning of his folly; to hoard his surplus instead of using it for the good of men.
Thou hast much goods laid up for many years. He had the goods, but the years he could not claim. It was a second element of his folly to forget that life is uncertain, and to make no provision for its close.
Take thine ease. Here is the third element of his folly; to attempt to satisfy his soul with food, drink and merriment: to feed that which demands heavenly food on husks.