And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Parallel translations
- WEB He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
- BSB And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
- NKJV Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
- NASB And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
- NLT He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
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
Jesus teaches many things in parables. It matters because parables both reveal kingdom truth to the receptive and conceal it from the hardened.
Overview
Parables are vivid earthly stories that carry heavenly meaning, inviting hearers to ponder. They reward those who seek understanding while leaving the indifferent unmoved. This method reflects Jesus' wisdom in teaching the kingdom and the responsibility of each hearer to respond rightly to what they hear.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 13:34–35All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
- Mark 4:11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
- Mark 3:23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
- Ps 78:2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
- Matt 13:3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
- Ps 49:4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
- Matt 13:10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
- Mark 12:38And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
- Mark 4:33–34And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
- Matt 7:28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
- John 7:16–17Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
- John 18:19The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:2 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.