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Text -- Mark 4:1-32 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
The Parable of the Sower
4:1 Again he began to teach by the lake . Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake .
4:2 He taught them many things in parables , and in his teaching said to them :
4:3 “Listen ! A sower went out to sow .
4:4 And as he sowed , some seed fell along the path , and the birds came and devoured it .
4:5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil . It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep .
4:6 When the sun came up it was scorched , and because it did not have sufficient root , it withered .
4:7 Other seed fell among the thorns , and they grew up and choked it , and it did not produce grain .
4:8 But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain , sprouting and growing ; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty , and some a hundred times .”
4:9 And he said , “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen !”
The Purpose of Parables
4:10 When he was alone , those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables .
4:11 He said to them , “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you . But to those outside , everything is in parables ,
4:12 so that although they look they may look but not see , and although they hear they may hear but not understand , so they may not repent and be forgiven .”
4:13 He said to them , “Don’t you understand this parable ? Then how will you understand any parable ?
4:14 The sower sows the word .
4:15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown : Whenever they hear , immediately Satan comes and snatches the word that was sown in them .
4:16 These are the ones sown on rocky ground : As soon as they hear the word , they receive it with joy .
4:17 But they have no root in themselves and do not endure . Then , when trouble or persecution comes because of the word , immediately they fall away .
4:18 Others are the ones sown among thorns : They are those who hear the word ,
4:19 but worldly cares , the seductiveness of wealth , and the desire for other things come in and choke the word , and it produces nothing .
4:20 But these are the ones sown on good soil : They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit , one thirty times as much, one sixty , and one a hundred .”
The Parable of the Lamp
4:21 He also said to them , “A lamp isn’t brought to be put under a basket or under a bed , is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand ?
4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be revealed , and nothing concealed except to be brought to light .
4:23 If anyone has ears to hear , he had better listen !”
4:24 And he said to them , “Take care about what you hear . The measure you use will be the measure you receive , and more will be added to you .
4:25 For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken from him .”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
4:26 He also said , “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground .
4:27 He goes to sleep and gets up , night and day , and the seed sprouts and grows , though he does not know how.
4:28 By itself the soil produces a crop , first the stalk , then the head, then the full grain in the head .
4:29 And when the grain is ripe , he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come .”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
4:30 He also asked , “To what can we compare the kingdom of God , or what parable can we use to present it ?
4:31 It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground , even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground –
4:32 when it is sown , it grows up , becomes the greatest of all garden plants , and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Jesus, The Christ |
JESUS CHRIST, 4C1 |
Sermon |
MARK, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO, 1 |
Word of God |
Sower |
Minister |
Apostasy |
Church |
Character |
Instability |
Perseverance |
Backsliders |
PARABLE |
Kingdom |
Regeneration |
MUSTARD |
KINGDOM OF GOD (OF HEAVEN), THE |
JESUS CHRIST, 3 |
Wicked |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Mar 4:1; Mar 4:2; Mar 4:3; Mar 4:4; Mar 4:5; Mar 4:5; Mar 4:6; Mar 4:7; Mar 4:7; Mar 4:8; Mar 4:9; Mar 4:11; Mar 4:11; Mar 4:11; Mar 4:12; Mar 4:13; Mar 4:15; Mar 4:15; Mar 4:17; Mar 4:17; Mar 4:19; Mar 4:19; Mar 4:19; Mar 4:20; Mar 4:21; Mar 4:21; Mar 4:22; Mar 4:23; Mar 4:24; Mar 4:25; Mar 4:25; Mar 4:29; Mar 4:29; Mar 4:31; Mar 4:32; Mar 4:32; Mar 4:32
NET Notes: Mar 4:1 Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clau...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:2 Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. 2:19-22; 3:23-25; 4:3-9, 26-32; 7:15-17; 13:28), many times they are simply stories th...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:3 A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through whi...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:4 Mark’s version of the parable, like Luke’s (cf. Luke 8:4-8), uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pro...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:8 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.
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NET Notes: Mar 4:9 The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let hi...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:11 This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
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NET Notes: Mar 4:12 A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
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NET Notes: Mar 4:13 Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the n...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:15 The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
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NET Notes: Mar 4:20 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
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NET Notes: Mar 4:21 Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “bas...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:23 The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let hi...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:25 What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a...
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NET Notes: Mar 4:29 Because the harvest has come. This parable is found only in Mark (cf. Matt 13:24-30) and presents a complete picture of the coming of God’s king...
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