Mark 4
4
The Parable of the Sower
1Again # 4:1–12 Mt 13:1–15; Lk 8:4–10 he began to teach # 4:1 Mt 28:20; Ac 4:2; 2Tm 4:11 by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. 2He taught them many things in parables, # 4:2 Mk 12:1 and in his teaching # 4:2 Mk 11:18; Ac 2:42; 17:19 he said to them, 3“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. # 4:3 Gl 6:7 4As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, # 4:4 Mk 8:27 and the birds came and devoured # 4:4 Gl 5:15 it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, # 4:5 Mk 10:52 since the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. # 4:6 Mk 3:1 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased # 4:8 1Pt 2:2 thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” # 4:8 Jn 15:5; Col 1:6 9Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.” # 4:9 Is 6:9; Jr 5:21; Ezk 12:2; Mk 8:18; Lk 14:35
Why Jesus Used Parables
10When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve # 4:10 Mk 11:11 asked him about the parables. # 4:10 Mk 12:1 11He answered them, “The secret # 4:11 1Co 2:7 of the kingdom of God # 4:11 Mk 1:15 has been given to you, but to those outside, # 4:11 Rm 9:27 everything comes in parables 12so that
they may indeed look,
and yet not perceive;
they may indeed listen,
and yet not understand; # 4:12 Mk 7:18
otherwise, they might turn back
and be forgiven.” # 4:12 Other mss read and their sins be forgiven them,# 4:12 Is 6:9–10,# 4:12 Is 6:9–10
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13Then # 4:13–20 Mt 13:18–23; Lk 8:9–15 he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? # 4:13 Mk 12:1 How then will you understand all of the parables? 14The sower sows # 4:14 Gl 6:7 the word. # 4:14 Mk 16:20 15Some are like the word sown on the path. # 4:15 Mk 8:27 When they hear, immediately Satan # 4:15 Mt 4:10 comes and takes away the word # 4:15 Lk 6:47 sown in them. # 4:15 Other mss read in their hearts 16And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. # 4:16 Jn 5:43; 15:11 17But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress # 4:17 2Co 1:4 or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. # 4:17 Jn 16:1 18Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the worries # 4:19 1Pt 5:7 of this age, # 4:19 Lk 16:8; Eph 1:21 the deceitfulness # 4:19 Or seduction,# 4:19 Mt 13:22 of wealth, # 4:19 Mt 13:22; Lk 8:14 and the desires # 4:19 2Pt 1:4; 2:10 for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. # 4:19 Rm 1:13; Ti 3:14; Jd 12 20And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, # 4:20 Lk 6:47 welcome it, and produce fruit # 4:20 Col 1:10 thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
Using Your Light
21He # 4:21–25 Lk 8:16–18 also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? # 4:21 Lk 5:18 Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand? # 4:21 Rv 1:12 22For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, # 4:22 2Co 4:11 and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” # 4:23 Mk 4:9 24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure # 4:24 2Co 10:13 you use, # 4:24 Mt 7:2; Lk 6:38 it will be measured to you — and more will be added # 4:24 Lk 17:5 to you. 25For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” # 4:25 Mt 25:29; Lk 19:26
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 “The kingdom of God # 4:26 Mk 1:15 is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. 27He sleeps # 4:27 Mt 9:24 and rises # 4:27 Mk 5:41 night # 4:27 Jn 9:4 and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. 28The soil produces a crop # 4:28 Col 1:10 by itself — first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain # 4:28 Lk 16:7 on the head. 29As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, # 4:29 Jl 3:13; Rv 14:14–19 because the harvest # 4:29 Rv 14:15 has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30And # 4:30–34 Mt 13:31–35; Lk 13:18–21 he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, # 4:30 Mk 1:15 or what parable # 4:30 Mk 12:1 can we use to describe it? 31It’s like a mustard seed # 4:31 Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6 that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32And when sown, # 4:32 Gl 6:7 it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, # 4:32 Lk 11:42 and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky # 4:32 Mt 24:35; Lk 12:33; Ac 17:24; Eph 6:9; Rv 21:10 can nest in its shade.”
Using Parables
33He was speaking the word # 4:33 Lk 6:47; Jn 18:32 to them with many parables # 4:33 Mk 12:1 like these, as they were able to understand. # 4:33 Jn 16:12 34He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples. # 4:34 Mt 9:10; Mk 10:10; Lk 6:1; Jn 6:3; Ac 6:1
Wind and Waves Obey Jesus
35On # 4:35–41 Mt 8:23–27; Lk 8:22–25 that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm # 4:37 Ps 107:25; Jnh 1:5–6 arose, and the waves # 4:37 Jd 13 were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38He was in the stern, sleeping # 4:38 Mt 9:24 on the cushion. So they woke him up # 4:38 Mk 5:41 and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die? ” # 4:38 Jn 6:27
39He got up, rebuked # 4:39 2Tm 4:2 the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! # 4:39 Mt 22:12; Mk 3:4 Be still! ” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? # 4:40 Mt 8:26; Rv 21:8 Do you still have no faith? ”
41And they were terrified # 4:41 Or were filled with awe,# 4:41 Rv 11:11 and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey # 4:41 Mk 1:27 him! ” # 4:41 Jnh 1:10,16; Mk 6:50–51
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Mark 4: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Markos 4
4
1And again Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach began to say shiurim (Torah talks) beside the lake. And a huge multitude gathered together to him so that he got into a sirah (boat) on the lake and sat down. The whole multitude was by the lake on the shore. 2And Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach was giving them torah with many meshalim (parables) and in the shiurim he said, he was saying to them: 3Listen. Hinei! The Sower went out to sow [seeds]. 4And it came about that when he went to sow, that some [seeds] fell beside the road. And the birds came and devoured it. 5And other [seeds] fell upon the rocky places where it did not have much soil, and ofen ort (immediately) it sprang up because it did not have depth of soil. 6And when the shemesh rose, it was scorched and, because it did not have a shoresh (root), it withered. 7And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them, and it did not yield pri. 8And other seed fell into the adamah tovah (good ground) and it was giving pri (fruit), rising up and growing, thirty, sixty, and one hundredfold. 9And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
10And when he was alone, the Shneym Asar were asking him for a hezber (explanation) of the meshalim (parables). 11And he was saying to them, To you the raz (secret) of the Malchut Hashem has been given. But to the outsiders, everything remains in meshalim, 12In order that YIRU they may see and not have daas, VSHIMU they may hear and not have binah, lest they should turn and they should receive refuah and selicha.#4:12 Isa 6:9-10, TARGUM HASHIVIM 13And Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Do you not have daas of the meaning of this mashal? Then how will you have binah of all the meshalim? 14The one sowing sows the dvar Hashem. 15And these are the ones beside the road where the dvar Hashem is sown. And when they hear it, ofen ort HaSatan comes and takes the dvar that has been sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown upon the rocky places: when they hear the dvar, ofen ort with simcha they receive it. 17Yet they do not have a shoresh (root) in themselves but are transitory; then when ES TZARAH comes or redifah (persecution) on account of the dvar, ofen ort they fall away, they become shmad.#4:17 Jer 30:7; Mt 24:21-22 18And others are the ones sown among thorns. These are the ones having heard the dvar, 19and the worries of the Olam Hazeh and the seduction of ashires (riches) and the desires for other things come in and choke the dvar Hashem and it does not bear pri. 20And these are the ones sown upon adamah tovah: they hear the dvar Hashem and are mekabel (receive) the dvar Hashem and bear pri, thirty, sixty and one hundredfold.
21And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying to them, Surely a menorah is not brought out in order that it may be put under a measuring bucket or under the couch? Rather, is it not brought out that it may be placed on the shulchan? 22For there is not [anything] nistar except that it may be made nikar nor has it become concealed but that it may come into [the] open.#4:22 Jer 16:17 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 24And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying to them, Pay attention! By what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25For whoever has, it will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
26And he was saying, Thus is the Malchut Hashem: like a man who casts seed upon the soil, 27And goes to sleep blailah (at night) and arises byom (at day), and the seed sprouts up and grows in such a way that he does not have daas of how it does so. 28On its own, the soil bears pri: first the blade, then a head of grain, then full wheat in the head. 29But when the crop is ripe, ofen ort (immediately) he puts forth the MAGGAL, KI VASHAL KATZIR (sickle, for the harvest is ripe).#4:29 Yoel 4:13
30And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying, To what should we compare the Malchut Hashem or by what mashal (parable) may we present it? 31The Malchut Hashem is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the soil, is smaller [than] all the seeds on the earth: 32But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater [than] all the plants of the garden and puts forth large branches, so that the OPH HASHOMAYIM can nest under its shade.
33And with many such meshalim, Rebbe, Melech Hamoshiach was speaking to them the dvar Hashem as they were able to hear. 34But apart from meshalim, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was not speaking to them. Only privately, in a yechidus, was Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach explaining everything to his own talmidim.
35And on that day, when erev had come, Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Let us go over to the other side of the lake. 36And leaving the multitude, they took Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, just as he was, in the sirah (boat), and other sirot (boats) were with him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind and the waves were beating against the sirah (boat), so that it was already filling up. 38And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was in the stern on the cushion sleeping, and they woke him up, and they say to him, Rebbe, does it not matter to you that we are perishing? 39And having been awakened, Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach rebuked the wind, and he spoke to the lake, Sha! Be still! And there was a great calm. 40And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Why do you have morech lev (cowardliness)? Do you still not have emunah? 41And they were afraid with a terrible pachad (terror), and they were saying to one another, Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?
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