MARK 4:25 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.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]Anyone who has faith will be given a reward, but if you have none, even the little you have will be taken away.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
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 For he who has, it will be given to him, and he who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

UST God will reveal even more to people who already know some things about the good news. However, God will cause people who know very little about the good news to know nothing about it at all.”

BSB For whoever has will be given [more]. [But] whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

MSB For whoever has will be given [more]. [But] whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

BLB For whoever may have, it will be given to him; and he who does not have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."

AICNT For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

OEB For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’

WEBBE For whoever has, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

LSV for whoever may have, there will be given to him, and whoever has not, also that which he has will be taken from him.”

FBV More will be given to those who already have understanding, but those who don't want to know will have what little understanding they have taken from them.

TCNT For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

T4T Those who consider what I say and understand it, God will enable them to understand more. But those who do not consider carefully what I say, they will forget even what they already know.”

LEB For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

BBE He who has, to him will be given: and he who has not, from him will be taken even that which he has.

Moff For he who has, to him shall more be given;
⇔ while as for him who has not, from him shall be taken even what he has."

Wymth For those who have will have more given them; and from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away."

ASV For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.

DRA For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him.

YLT for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'

Drby For whosoever has, to him shall be given; and he who has not, even what he has shall be taken from him.

RV For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.
(For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath/has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. )

SLT For whoever should have, to him shall be given: and whoever has not, also what he has shall be taken away from him.

Wbstr For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

KJB-1769 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
( For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath/has not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. )

KJB-1611 For he that hath, to him shall be giuen: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken, euen that which he hath.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps For vnto hym that hath, shall it be geuen: and from hym that hath not, shalbe taken away, euen that which he hath.
(For unto him that hath, shall it be given: and from him that hath/has not, shall be taken away, even that which he hath.)

Gnva For vnto him that hath, shall it be giuen, and from him that hath not, shall be taken away, euen that he hath.
(For unto him that hath, shall it be given, and from him that hath/has not, shall be taken away, even that he hath. )

Cvdl For who so hath, vnto him shal be geuen: and who so hath not, from him shalbe taken awaye, euen that he hath.
(For whoso/whoever hath, unto him shall be given: and whoso/whoever hath/has not, from him shall be taken away, even that he hath.)

TNT For vnto him that hath shall it be geven: and from him that hath not shalbe taken awaye even that he hath.
(For unto him that hath/has shall it be given: and from him that hath/has not shall be taken away even that he hath. )

Wycl For it schal be youun to hym that hath, and it schal be takun awei fro him that hath not, also that that he hath.
(For it shall be given to him that hath, and it shall be taken away from him that hath/has not, also that that he hath.)

Luth Denn wer da hat, dem wird gegeben; und wer nicht hat, von dem wird man nehmen, auch was er hat.
(Because who there has, to_him becomes given; and who not has, from to_him becomes man take, also what/which he has.)

ClVg Qui enim habet, dabitur illi: et qui non habet, etiam quod habet auferetur ab eo.[fn]
(Who because has, will_be_given them: and who/which not/no has, also that has will_be_taken_away away by_him. )

4.25 Qui enim habet, etc. Scilicet qui fidem habet, habebit virtutem, et qui habet opus verbi, habebit intelligentiam mysterii. Et econtra, qui non habet fidem, deficit virtute; et qui non habet opus verbi ejus intelligentia caret; et qui non intelligit, auditum perdit, ac si non audisset.

4.25 Who because has, etc. Of_course who/which faith has, will_have virtue, and who/which has work/need words, will_have intelligence mysteries. And econtra, who/which not/no has faith, deficit by_virtue; and who/which not/no has work/need words his intelligence caret; and who/which not/no understands, hearing loses, and when/but_if not/no would_have_heard.

UGNT ὃς γὰρ ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ; καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ.
(hos gar eⱪei, dothaʸsetai autōi; kai hos ouk eⱪei, kai ho eⱪei arthaʸsetai ap’ autou.)

SBL-GNT ὃς γὰρ ⸀ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ· καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ⸀ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.
(hos gar ⸀eⱪei, dothaʸsetai autōi; kai hos ouk eⱪei, kai ⸀ho eⱪei arthaʸsetai apʼ autou.)

RP-GNT Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἔχῃ, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ· καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ.
(Hos gar an eⱪaʸ, dothaʸsetai autōi; kai hos ouk eⱪei, kai ho eⱪei arthaʸsetai ap' autou.)

TC-GNT Ὃς γὰρ [fn]ἂν ἔχῃ, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ· καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ.
(Hos gar an eⱪaʸ, dothaʸsetai autōi; kai hos ouk eⱪei, kai ho eⱪei arthaʸsetai ap autou. )

4:25 αν εχη ¦ εχει CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:21–25: Jesus told his disciples to study and share the truths that God revealed to them

In this section Jesus told a parable about a lamp (4:21). He told this parable in order to encourage his disciples to share the gospel and not to hide it. Then he talked about hidden things and urged his disciples to listen carefully to what he told them.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The parables of the lamp and measuring

We must not hide the light/truth

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 5:15 (also Matthew 7:2) and Luke 8:16–18 (also Luke 11:33, 6:38, 8:18).

4:25a

For whoever has will be given more.

Because he who has some things will be given more,
Another way to say this is, those who have some knowledge/understanding will receive more.

For whoever has: This clause leaves implied what this person has. Because of the close connection of this verse with 4:24, the implied meaning is probably “Whoever has understanding.”

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit what this person has. Some ways to do this are:

Use a word that specifically indicates the connection with 4:24. For example:
Those who have understanding (NCV)
Those who understand [these mysteries] (GW)
Use a general word. For example:
Everyone who has something (CEV)

For: The Greek word that the BSB literally translates as For indicates that the proverb in 4:25 is a further explanation of the preceding proverb in 4:24. In some languages the meaning of this conjunction can be expressed as:

Another way to say this is

Some versions leave the word For implied. You will need to decide whether it is natural in your language to introduce an explanation with a special word or phrase.

will be given more: The subject for the verb phrase will be given is implied but not repeated. It may be more natural in your language to repeat the subject. For example:

he will be given more

The verb given is passive. If it is more natural in your language to make this active and say who does the giving, the implied subject is God.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

he will receive more

God will add to his understanding

4:25b

But whoever does not have,

but the one who does not have anything,
but whoever has no understanding,
And those who do not use the little knowledge they have,

4:25c

even what he has will be taken away from him.”

even the little bit he has will be taken from him.”
he will lose even the little understanding that he has.”
God will take even that from them.”

4:25b–c

But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him: This is a hyperbole. It means that the person has very little. It implies that the person ignores the small amount of understanding or knowledge that he has.

It may be more natural in your language to translate the meaning without the hyperbole. For example:

whoever ignores the little he has, even what he has will be taken from him

whoever understands very little, even that will be taken from him

But: The Greek word that the BSB translates as But is often translated as “and” (as in the RSV). There is contrast between the one who had in 4:25a, and the one who does not have in 4:25b. For this reason, some versions like the BSB indicate this contrast with the conjunction But. Likewise, the NET says:

but whoever does not have

However, some translations do not translate this conjunction at all. You should connect 4:25a and 4:25b in a way that is natural in your language.

will be taken away from him: The Greek verb phrase that the BSB translates as will be taken away is passive. If it is more natural in your language to make this active and say who will take something, you should refer to the same person as in 4:24c. For example:

God will take even that from him

will lose what little they have (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of what Jesus said in the previous verse about paying careful attention to what one hears. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces this kind of explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Here is what I mean:] or [To put it another way,]

Note 2 topic: writing-proverbs

ὃς & ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ; καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Here, Jesus uses or invents a proverb in order to teach that people who have something usually gain more of it, while people who have very little usually lose everything. Translate this proverb in a way that will be recognized as a proverb and be meaningful in your language and culture. Alternate translation: [people who have things receive more, and people who do not have things lose what they used to have]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὃς & ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ; καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Here Jesus implies that what the person has or does not have is knowledge or understanding about the good news that Jesus proclaims. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [he who has understanding, it will be given to him, and he who does not have understanding, even what he has will be taken away from him] or [he who has knowledge about the gospel, more will be given to him, and he who does not have knowledge about the gospel, even what knowledge he has will be taken away from him]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

δοθήσεται & ἀρθήσεται

˱it˲_˓will_be_being˒_given & ˓will_be_being˒_taken_away

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, it is clear from the context that it is God. Alternate translation: [God will give … God will take away]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ὃς & αὐτῷ & ὃς οὐκ ἔχει & ἔχει & αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Although the terms he and him are masculine in this verse, Jesus is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: [the person who … to that person … the person who does not have … that person … him or her]

Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

καὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Here, the word and introduces a person who does not have in contrast to the person who has. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces this kind of contrast. Alternate translation: [but]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

ὃς οὐκ ἔχει

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅς Γάρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καί ὅς οὐκ ἔχει καί ὅ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)

Jesus says he who does not have here as a generalization for emphasis. It is clear in the second half of the sentence that the person did have something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: [he who has almost nothing] or [he who does not have much]

Parallel MARK 4:25

Section 4:21–25: Jesus told his disciples to study and share the truths that God revealed to them

4:25a

4:25b

4:25c

4:25b–c