Matthew 13:22

13:22 The ¹  seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth ²  choke the word, ³  so it produces nothing.

Genesis 3:18

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ⁴  of the field.

Jeremiah 4:3-4

4:3 Yes, ⁵  the Lord has this to say

to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground,

you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning;

just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted,

you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. ⁶ 

4:4 Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin

as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment,

you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord

and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, ⁷ 

people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.

If you do not, ⁸  my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you

that no one will be able to extinguish.

That will happen because of the evil you have done.”

Mark 4:18-19

4:18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, 4:19 but ⁹  worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, ¹⁰  and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, ¹¹  and it produces nothing.

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

³ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (’esev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

⁵ tn The Hebrew particle is obviously asseverative here since a causal connection appears to make little sense.

⁶ tn Heb “Plow up your unplowed ground and do not sow among the thorns.” The translation is an attempt to bring out the force of a metaphor. The idea seems to be that they are to plow over the thorns and make the ground ready for the seeds which will produce a new crop where none had been produced before.

⁷ tn Heb “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskin of your heart.” The translation is again an attempt to bring out the meaning of a metaphor. The mention of the “foreskin of the heart” shows that the passage is obviously metaphorical and involves heart attitude, not an external rite.

⁸ tn Heb “lest.”

⁹ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹⁰ tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

¹¹ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.