And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
- KJV And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
- BSB Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
- NASB And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
- NLT Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
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 kingdom is like a man scattering seed on the ground. It matters because it shows the kingdom grows by God's hidden power, not human effort.
Overview
This parable, unique to Mark, likens God's kingdom to seed sown that grows mysteriously. The farmer plays a part but does not control the growth. It assures believers that the kingdom advances steadily by God's own power, encouraging patient trust rather than anxious striving.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Matt 13:24He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
- 1 Cor 3:6–9I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
- 1 Pet 1:23–25having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.
- Luke 8:11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
- Jas 3:18Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- Luke 8:5“The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.
- Isa 32:20Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.
- Mark 4:14–20The farmer sows the word.
- Prov 11:18Wicked people earn deceitful wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
- John 12:24Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
- John 4:36–38He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
- Isa 28:24–26Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?
- Mark 4:3–4“Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
- Eccl 11:6In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.
- Eccl 11:4He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.
- Luke 13:18He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?
- Matt 13:11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.
- Matt 3:2“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
- Matt 13:33He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
- Matt 4:17From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
- Matt 13:31He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
- Matt 13:3He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow.
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 4:26 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
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