And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
Parallel translations
- WEB Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
- KJV And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
- BSB Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
- NKJV Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
- NLT The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The thorny-soil hearers are those who hear the word among competing growths. It matters because it pictures faith crowded out by rival concerns.
Overview
These hearers genuinely hear the word, but it is sown among thorns. The verse introduces the danger of distraction and divided affections. Jesus prepares to name the specific things that choke the word, warning that good intentions can be rendered fruitless by worldly entanglements.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Luke 8:14That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
- Jer 4:3For Yahweh says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and don’t sow among thorns.
- Matt 13:22What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
- Mark 4:7Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 4:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.