MAT 13:31 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT He set before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed which, having taken, a man sowed in his field;

UST Then Jesus told the people another story. He said, “Here is what God’s heavenly kingdom is like: a man plants a tiny mustard seed in his field.

BSB He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took [and] planted in his field.

BLB He put before them another parable, saying: "The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man having taken, sowed in his field,

AICNT He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

OEB Another parable which he told them was this – ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field.

2DT He presented another analogy to them, saying, “The Heavens’ Empire is comparable to a mustard seed, which, taking, a human planted in his field.

WEBBE He 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,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

LSV Another allegory He set before them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, sowed in his field,

FBV He gave them another illustration: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a farmer sowed in his field.

TCNT He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

T4T Jesus also told this parable: “The number of (OR, God’s influence in the lives of) people whose lives God rules over will continue to grow. It is very much like mustard seeds grow after a man plants them in his field.

LEB ¶ He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and[fn] sowed in his field.

13:31 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb

BBE He put another story before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his field:

Moff He put another parable before them. "The Realm of heaven," he said, "is like a grain of mustard-seed which a man takes and sows in his field.

Wymth Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "is like a mustard-seed, which a man takes and sows in his ground.

ASV Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

DRA Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

YLT Another simile he set before them, saying: 'The reign of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, did sow in his field,

Drby Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard [seed] which a man took and sowed in his field;

RV Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

SLT Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like a kernel of mustard, which a man taking, sowed in his field:

Wbstr Another parable he proposed to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

KJB-1769 ¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

KJB-1611 ¶ Another parable put he foorth vnto them, saying, The kingdome of heauen is like to a graine of mustard seed, which a man tooke, and sowed in his field.
(¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man tooke, and sowed in his field.)

Bshps Another parable put he foorth vnto them, saying. The kyngdome of heauen is like to a grayne of mustard seede, which a man toke & sowed in his fielde.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Gnva Another parable he put foorth vnto them, saying, The kingdome of heauen is like vnto a graine of mustard seede, which a man taketh and soweth in his fielde:
(Another parable he put forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man taketh/takes and soweth/sows in his field: )

Cvdl Another parable put he forth vnto the, and sayde: The kyngdome of heauen is like vnto a grane of mustarde sede, which a man toke, and sowed it in his felde.
(Another parable put he forth unto them, and said: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grane of mustard seed, which a man toke, and sowed it in his field.)

TNT Another parable he put forthe vnto the sayinge. The kyngdome of heven is lyke vnto a grayne of mustard seed which a man taketh and soweth in his felde
(Another parable he put forth unto the saying. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed which a man taketh/takes and soweth/sows in his field )

Wycl Another parable Jhesus puttide forth to hem, and seide, The kyngdom of heuenes is lijk to a corn of seneuey, which a man took, and sewe in his feeld.
(Another parable Yhesus put forth to hem, and said, The kingdom of heavens is like to a corn of seneuey, which a man took, and sew in his field.)

Luth Ein ander Gleichnis legte er ihnen vor und sprach: Das Himmelreich ist gleich einem Senfkorn, das ein Mensch nahm und säete auf seinen Acker,
(A at_the parable/allegory laid he to_them before/in_front_of and spoke: The heaven_riches/kingdom is even on mustard_seed, the a person took and sowse on/in/to his field,)

ClVg Aliam parabolam proposuit eis dicens: Simile est regnum cælorum grano sinapis, quod accipiens homo seminavit in agro suo:[fn]
(Aliam parable proposed to_them saying: Simile it_is kingdom of_the_heavens grano mustard, that accepting human seminavit in/into/on field his_own: )

13.31 Simile est regnum, etc. Regnum cœlorum, prædicatio est Evangelii, de qua alibi: Auferetur a vobis regnum Dei, et dabitur genti facienti fructum ejus Matth. 21.. Vel notitia Scripturarum. Grano sinapis. Grano sinapis comparatur pro fervore fidei, quia dicitur venena expellere, id est, omnia dogmata pravitatis. Potest in grano sinapis humilitas Dominicæ incarnationis intelligi. Quo accepto homo misit in hortum suum, quia corpus crucifixi Salvatoris accipiens Joseph in horto sepelivit. Expandit ramos in quibus volucres cœli requiescent, quia prædicatores dispersit in mundum, in quorum dictis et consolationibus fideles ab hujus vitæ fatigatione respirarent.

13.31 Simile it_is kingdom, etc. Regnum of_the_heavens, preaching it_is of_the_Gospels, from/about which alibi: It_will_be_removed from to_you(pl) kingdom of_God, and will_be_given nation they_will_doi fruit his Matth. 21.. Or information Scripturarum. Grano mustard. Grano mustard is_compared for fervore of_faith, because it_is_said poisons expellere, that it_is, everything dogmas pravitatis. Can in/into/on grano mustard humility Sunday incarnation to_be_understood. Where accept human he_sent in/into/on hortum his_own, because body crucified Saviour accepting Yoseph in/into/on garden sepelivit. Expandt branches in/into/on to_whom birds heavens they_will_rest, because preachers dispersedt in/into/on the_world, in/into/on whose after_saying and consolationibus faithful away of_this of_life fatigatione respirarent.

UGNT ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων, ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ;
(allaʸn parabolaʸn parethaʸken autois legōn, homoia estin haʸ Basileia tōn Ouranōn kokkōi sinapeōs, hon labōn anthrōpos espeiren en tōi agrōi autou;)

SBL-GNT Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ·
(Allaʸn parabolaʸn parethaʸken autois legōn; Homoia estin haʸ basileia tōn ouranōn kokkōi sinapeōs, hon labōn anthrōpos espeiren en tōi agrōi autou;)

RP-GNT Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς, λέγων, Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ·
(Allaʸn parabolaʸn parethaʸken autois, legōn, Homoia estin haʸ basileia tōn ouranōn kokkōi sinapeōs, hon labōn anthrōpos espeiren en tōi agrōi autou;)

TC-GNT Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς, λέγων, Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ·
(Allaʸn parabolaʸn parethaʸken autois, legōn, Homoia estin haʸ basileia tōn ouranōn kokkōi sinapeōs, hon labōn anthrōpos espeiren en tōi agrōi autou; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 13:31–35: Jesus told the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast

In this section, Jesus told two parables: the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast. These parables show something about the growth and size of God’s kingdom.

The parable about the mustard seed shows that God’s kingdom will grow from a very small beginning to a very large size. The size of God’s kingdom represents the number of people in the kingdom.

The parable of the yeast shows that God’s kingdom will spread throughout the world.

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 4:30–32 and Luke 13:18–21.

13:31a

He put before them another parable:

¶ Then Jesus told another parable to the people:
¶ Here is another story that Jesus told the people:

He put before them another parable: This clause is exactly the same as the clause in 13:24a.

Here are some other ways to translate it:

He told them another parable (NIV)

This is another parable he gave them (REB)

Then Jesus told another story (NCV)

13:31b–c

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed: This clause is a simile. It compares the kingdom of God to what happens when a mustard seed is planted. The Jewish people considered the mustard seed to be one of their smallest seeds. However, the mustard plant can grow to be a tree as large as three meters high.

The point of similarity in this comparison is the growth from something small to something large. Like the mustard plant, the kingdom of God is very small at its beginning, but it becomes very large.

The comparison is about the whole growth process, not just what the seed is like. One way to make this clear is:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. (CEV)

13:31b

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
“God’s rule/chieftaincy is like a small seed of a mustard plant.

The kingdom of heaven: This phrase last occurred in 13:24b. You should translate it here as you did there.

is like: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as is like is very similar to the word translated as “is like” in 13:24b. This phrase introduces a comparison. Here Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

can be compared to

resembles

a mustard seed: The BSB translates the Greek phrase literally as a mustard seed. To Jewish people, the mustard seed was a symbol of smallness.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Use your word for seed and transliterate the word mustard according to the sounds of your language. For example:
a musutarade seed
a seed of the plant/tree called mutar
Use a generic phrase. For example:
a tiny seed
Use the name of a local seed that is known to be very small, but grows into a tree. If you use this option, you may want to indicate the literal name in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:
The Greek text is literally “a mustard seed.”

Regardless of the way you translate mustard seed, you may want to add a footnote that explains the significance of mustard seed in the Jewish culture. For example:

For the Jews, the mustard seed was a symbol of something that was very small. But the mustard seed that was planted in the country of the Jews grew into a tree that grew up to three meters high.

13:31c

that a man planted in his field.

that someone took and planted in his field.
A man took it and planted it in his field.

that a man: Here, the Greek includes a verb that means “picked up in his hand.” In some languages it may be natural to leave this action implicit, as the BSB has done. In other languages, it may be natural to include this action. For example:

that a man took and sowed in his field (ESV)

planted in his field: The Greek word that the BSB translates as planted is the same word as the word “sowed” throughout the parable of the sower. This word first occurs in 13:3b. Here the man does not sow many seeds. He only sows one. The method of planting is not in focus here. So you may use whatever term is natural in your language for planting this kind of seed in a vegetable garden or field.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς

˱he˲_set_before ˱to˲_them

Matthew speaks as if the parable were an object that Jesus could set before the people. He means that Jesus told them another parable. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. See how you expressed the idea in [13:24](../13/24.md). Alternate translation: [He spoke to them] or [He narrated to them]

Note 2 topic: writing-pronouns

αὐτοῖς

˱to˲_them

The pronoun them refers to the people who were standing by the side of the Sea of Galilee (see [13:2](../13/02.md)). If this is not clear for your readers, you could refer to those people more directly. See how you expressed the idea in [13:24](../13/24.md). Alternate translation: [the people standing on the shore] or [those people]

Note 3 topic: writing-quotations

λέγων

saying

Consider natural ways of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: [and he said]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parables

ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἄλλην παραβολήν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Ὁμοία ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως ὅν λαβών ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ)

To teach the people in the crowd, Jesus offers a story or illustration. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: [Listen to this story: the kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

κόκκῳ σινάπεως

˱to˲_˓a˒_seed ˱of˲_mustard

A mustard seed is a very small seed that grows into a large plant. If your readers would not be familiar with this kind of seed, in your translation you could use the name of another seed like it, or you could use a general phrase. Alternate translation: [a very small seed]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἄνθρωπος & αὐτοῦ

˓a˒_man & ˱of˲_him

Here Jesus is telling a story about a specific man. However, it is not important for the story whether the person is a man or a woman. If you have a form that refers to any person without identifying a gender, you could use it here. Otherwise, you could identify the person as a man, as the UST does.

Parallel MAT 13:31

Section 13:31–35: Jesus told the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast

13:31a

13:31b–c

13:31b

13:31c