And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
- KJV But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
- NKJV But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
- NASB Now when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
- NLT And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
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
When the grain is ripe, the farmer puts in the sickle for harvest. It matters because it points to the certain coming of God's final harvest and judgment.
Overview
The ripened grain and the sickle echo biblical imagery of the harvest at the end of the age. After the kingdom's hidden growth comes a decisive ingathering. This assures believers that God's work will reach its appointed climax, when Christ gathers his people and brings history to its consummation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Joel 3:13Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.
- Isa 57:1–2The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil.
- Matt 13:40–43As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
- Matt 13:30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
- Rev 14:13–17And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
- Job 5:26You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
- 2 Tim 4:7–8I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
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 4:29 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.