Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
Parallel translations
- WEB Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
- KJV And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
- NKJV Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
- NASB Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
- NLT Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
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
Some seed falls on rocky ground and springs up quickly for lack of deep soil. It matters because it pictures a shallow, rootless response to the word.
Overview
The thin soil over rock allows rapid but superficial growth. This represents an emotional, immediate reception of the gospel that lacks depth. Jesus prepares to show that without genuine roots, such faith cannot endure trial, exposing the difference between initial enthusiasm and lasting discipleship.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ezek 36:26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
- Luke 8:6Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.
- Ezek 11:19And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
- Luke 8:13The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.
- Hos 10:12Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
- Amos 6:12“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
- Matt 13:5–6Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
- Matt 13:20The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
- Mark 4:16–17Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
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 4:5 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.