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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) And then, “God’s kingdom is like a person throwing some seed onto the ground.![]()
OET-LV And he_was_saying:
Thus is the kingdom of_ the _god:
as a_man may_throw the seed on the earth,![]()
SR-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν, “Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ: ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ‡
(Kai elegen, “Houtōs estin haʸ Basileia tou ˚Theou: hōs anthrōpos balaʸ ton sporon epi taʸs gaʸs,)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 And he was saying, “Thus is the kingdom of God: As a man throws the seed on the ground,
UST Then Jesus said, “Here is what God’s kingdom is like: a farmer planted some seeds.
BSB [Jesus] also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
MSB (Same as BSB above)
BLB And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is thus, as a man should cast the seed upon the earth,
AICNT And he said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the earth.
OEB Jesus also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like – like a man who has scattered seed on the ground,
WEBBE He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
WMBB (Same as above)
NET He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.
LSV And He said, “Thus is the Kingdom of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,
FBV God's kingdom is like a man sowing seed in the ground,” Jesus said.
TCNT He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
T4T Jesus also said, “God has the power to change people who let him rule their lives. I will illustrate how that can happen [MET]. A man planted seeds in the ground.
LEB ¶ And he said, “The kingdom of God is like this: like a man scatters seed on the ground.
BBE And he said, Such is the kingdom of God, as if a man put seed in the earth,
Moff And he said, "It is with the Realm of God as when a man has sown seed on earth;
Wymth Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:
ASV And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth;
DRA And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth,
YLT And he said, 'Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,
Drby And he said, Thus is the kingdom of [fn]God, as if a man should cast the seed upon the earth,
4.26 Elohim
RV And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth;
SLT And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth;
Wbstr And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
KJB-1769 ¶ And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
KJB-1611 ¶ And he said, So is the kingdome of God, as if a man should cast seede into the ground,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)
Bshps And he sayde, so is the kyngdome of God: euen as yf a man shoulde sowe seede in the grounde,
(And he said, so is the kingdom of God: even as if a man should sow seed in the ground,)
Gnva Also he said, So is the kingdome of God, as if a man should cast seede in the ground,
(Also he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed in the ground, )
Cvdl And he sayde: The kyngdome of God is after this maner, as when a man casteth sede vpon the londe,
(And he said: The kingdom of God is after this manner, as when a man casteth seed upon the land,)
TNT And he sayde: so is the kyngdome of God even as yf a man shuld sowe seed in the groude
(And he said: so is the kingdom of God even as if a man should sow seed in the ground )
Wycl And he seide, So the kingdom of God is, as if a man caste seede in to the erthe,
(And he said, So the kingdom of God is, as if a man cast/threw seed in to the earth,)
Luth Und er sprach: Das Reich Gottes hat sich also, als wenn ein Mensch Samen aufs Land wirft
(And he spoke: The kingdom God’s has itself/yourself/themselves also, as when a person seed(s) onto country throws)
ClVg Et dicebat: Sic est regnum Dei, quemadmodum si homo jaciat sementem in terram,[fn]
(And he_said: So it_is kingdom of_God, how/just_like when/but_if human throw seed in/into/on the_earth/land, )
4.26 Sic est regnum Dei. HIER. Scriptura divina per terrenas similitudines monstrat cœlestia sacramenta, sicut per totum Evangeliorum corpus constat. Regnum Dei est Ecclesia quæ, etc., usque ad: Quoniam adest messis, id est consummatio sæculi, in qua justi gaudebunt qui in lacrymis seminaverunt.
4.26 So it_is kingdom of_God. HIER. Scriptura divine through earthlys likenesss mountaintrat heaven sacraments, like through whole Evangeliorum body it_is_agreed/certain. Regnum of_God it_is Assembly/Church which, etc., until to: Since is_present harvest/crop, that it_is completion of_the_world/of_the_ages, in/into/on which just they_will_rejoice who/which in/into/on with_tears seminaverunt.
UGNT καὶ ἔλεγεν, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ: ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
(kai elegen, houtōs estin haʸ Basileia tou Theou: hōs anthrōpos balaʸ ton sporon epi taʸs gaʸs,)
SBL-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ⸀ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
(Kai elegen; Houtōs estin haʸ basileia tou theou ⸀hōs anthrōpos balaʸ ton sporon epi taʸs gaʸs)
RP-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν, Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
(Kai elegen, Houtōs estin haʸ basileia tou theou, hōs ean anthrōpos balaʸ ton sporon epi taʸs gaʸs,)
TC-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν, Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς [fn]ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
(Kai elegen, Houtōs estin haʸ basileia tou Theou, hōs ean anthrōpos balaʸ ton sporon epi taʸs gaʸs, )
4:26 εαν ¦ αν ANT ¦ — ECM NA SBL WH
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
This parable compares the kingdom of God to seeds. Seeds are planted, they sprout and grow and produce their own seeds (4:27–29a). The man who planted the seeds expects all this to happen but does not know how it happens (4:27c, 29b–c). In the same way, the followers of Jesus will grow in number and spiritual maturity, but people outside of the kingdom of God do not know how that happens. The identity of the man in the parable is not a part of the teaching of the parable. The man should not be compared to God in your translation.
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 parable of the sprouting seeds
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to plants growing from seeds to harvest
There are no direct parallel passages for this section. Some similar terms are used in Matthew 13:24–30.
Jesus also said,
¶ Furthermore he said,
¶ Then Jesus said to them,
Jesus also said: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Jesus also said is the same Greek phrase as in 4:24a, except here it does not have “to them.” As in 4:24a, this phrase indicates that Jesus was beginning a new topic.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
He continued, saying
Furthermore he said
If your language requires that you make explicit who Jesus said this to, you should use a general expression such as “to them.”
“The kingdom of God is like
“The kingdom of God is like
“The kingdom of God is like this:
a man who scatters seed on the ground.
when someone scatters/sows seeds on the ground.
A man/farmer plants/sows some seeds.
The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground: The kingdom of God is compared to what happens when a man scatters seed on the ground.There are various interpretations of this parable. Some commentators, including Lenski (page 184), say that the kingdom of God is compared to the entire scene. Edwards (page 142) says that the kingdom of God is here compared to seed. France (page 213) says that it is the man who sows. Be careful to translate this in a way that does not imply that the kingdom of God is being compared only to a man.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Here is another illustration of what the Kingdom of God is like: A farmer planted seeds in a field (NLT96)
God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field (CEV)
This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground (NIV)
Here is another illustration of what God’s reign/chieftancy is like:
The kingdom of God: The phrase The kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a land or country that he rules over.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
God’s rule/reign
God’s kingship
God’s chieftaincy
God’s government
See also kingdom of God, Context 3, in the Glossary.
God: See how you translated God in 4:11b.
scatters seed on the ground: The Greek word that the BSB translates as scatters is literally “throw.” In that area of the world, farmers planted grain by throwing the seeds on the ground/soil in front and to the side of themselves. This is the same action as in 4:3b, but the verb is different.
The method of planting (scattering on the ground) is not important here. You may want to use the expression for the usual method of planting in your area or a general word for planting.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
sows
plants
If the verb or expression you use for the word scatters implies that the seed is scattered on the ground, the phrase on the ground may not be necessary.
seed: The word seed is singular in form but refers to many individual seeds. In some languages it may be more natural to use a plural form like “seeds” here.
In some languages there may be different words for different types of seeds. The seeds mentioned here are grain seeds.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parables
οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ: ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Οὕτως ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τόν σπόρον ἐπί τῆς γῆς)
To teach his audience, 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. Thus is the kingdom of God: As a man throws seed on the ground]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ: ὡς ἄνθρωπος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Οὕτως ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τόν σπόρον ἐπί τῆς γῆς)
Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground. The following verses will give further information about this comparison. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different form that introduces this kind of comparison. Alternate translation: [The kingdom of God is like a man who]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
ἄνθρωπος
˓a˒_man
Here and in the following verses, Jesus tells a story about a specific man. 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. Alternate translation: [a person]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
˓may˒_cast (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Οὕτως ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τόν σπόρον ἐπί τῆς γῆς)
While there are many ways to sow or plant seeds, here Jesus is describing a practice in which a farmer picks up handfuls of seed and throws them so that they are scattered all over the top of the soil. If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain what the man is doing. Alternate translation: [sows the seed on the earth] or [scatters the seeds over the field]
Note 5 topic: grammar-collectivenouns
τὸν σπόρον
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Οὕτως ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τόν σπόρον ἐπί τῆς γῆς)
Here, the word seed is singular in form, but it refers to many seeds as a group. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this plainly. Alternate translation: [the seeds]