Mark 4:7

4:7 Other seed fell among the thorns, ¹  and they grew up and choked it, ²  and it did not produce grain.

Jeremiah 4:3

4:3 Yes, ³  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. ⁴ 

Matthew 13:22

13:22 The ⁵  seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth ⁶  choke the word, ⁷  so it produces nothing.

Luke 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ⁸  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ⁹  as they go on their way they are choked ¹⁰  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ¹¹  and their fruit does not mature. ¹² 

[4:7]  ¹ sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.

[4:7]  ² sn That is, crowded out the good plants.

[4:3]  ³ tn The Hebrew particle is obviously asseverative here since a causal connection appears to make little sense.

[4:3]  ⁴ 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.

[13:22]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:22]  ⁶ tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

[13:22]  ⁷ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ¹⁰ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ¹¹ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ¹² tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.