Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
- BSB Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
- NKJV But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
- NASB Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”
- NLT Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
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
Other seed falls on good ground and yields an abundant, multiplying harvest. It matters because it pictures hearts that receive the word and bear lasting fruit.
Overview
The good soil produces a remarkable yield of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. This represents those who truly hear, understand, and obey the word, resulting in genuine fruitfulness. The lavish harvest assures that, despite resistance and failure elsewhere, God's word powerfully accomplishes its purpose in receptive hearts.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- John 15:5I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
- Col 1:6which has come to you; even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
- Gen 26:12Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him.
- Mark 4:20Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”
- Jer 23:29“Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
- Acts 17:11Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
- Matt 13:8Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
- 1 Pet 2:1–3Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
- Isa 58:1“Cry aloud, don’t spare. Lift up your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Jas 1:19–22So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
- Luke 8:8Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
- Phil 1:11being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
- John 1:12–13But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:
- John 3:19–21This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.
- John 7:17If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself.
- Heb 4:1–2Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.
- Luke 8:15That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produces fruit with patience.
- Matt 13:23What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
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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 4:8 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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