English Standard Version
Mark 4:26
26And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.
Mark 4:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
- New International Version (NIV)He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
Context of Mark 4:26
24And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Read all of Mark 4Mark 4:26 word by word
Καὶ ἔλεγεν· οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆςRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Soοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the kingdomὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- should castβάλλωballō · to throw: sowG906
- seedσπόροςsporos · seedG4703
- intoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- the groundγῆgē · earth: soilG1093
Cross-references for Mark 4:26
- Matthew 3:2"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
- Matthew 4:17From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
- Matthew 13:11And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
- Luke 13:18He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
- Mark 4:3"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
- Proverbs 11:18The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
- Ecclesiastes 11:4He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
- Isaiah 28:24Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
- Isaiah 32:20Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.
- Matthew 13:3And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.
- Luke 8:5"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
- John 4:36Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
- John 12:24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
- 1 Corinthians 3:6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
- James 3:18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- 1 Peter 1:23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Commentaries on Mark 4:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26So is the kingdom of God - This parable is mentioned only by Mark, a proof that Mark did not abridge Matthew. Whitby supposes it to refer to the good ground spoken of before, and paraphrases is thus: - "What I have said of the seed sown upon good ground, may be illustrated by this parable. The doctrine of the kingdom, received in a good and honest heart, is like seed sown by a man in his ground, properly prepared to receive it; for when he hath sown it…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26So is the kingdom of God - The gospel, or religion in the soul, may be compared to this. See the notes at Matthew 3:2. This parable is recorded only by Mark.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-34Verses 21-34 These declarations were intended to call the attention of the disciples to the word of Christ. By his thus instructing them, they were made able to instruct others; as candles are lighted, not to be covered, but to be placed on a candlestick, that they may give light to a room. This parable of the good seed, shows the manner in which the kingdom of God makes progress in the world. Let but the word of Christ have the place it ought to have in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-29This parable focuses on the seed and how it grows over time. Just as the earth produces crops on its own, the completion (final coming) of God’s kingdom does not depend on human effort. first the stalk, then the head, then the grain that ripens within: These describe the normal stages of a seed’s growth.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 26-2726-27. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day--go about his other ordinary occupations, leaving it to the well-known laws of vegetation under the genial influences of heaven. This is the sense of "the earth bringing forth fruit of herself," in Mr 4:27.Read the comment
Topics related to Mark 4:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Mark 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries