MARK 4:30 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, 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 And he was saying, “How will we compare the kingdom of God, or in what parable will we put it?

UST Then Jesus said, “I would like us to consider together what God’s kingdom is like. I will use a story to make sure that we all understand it.

BSB Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?

MSB Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we illustrate[fn] it?

BLB And He was saying, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we present it?

AICNT And he said, “How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we put it?

OEB Jesus also said, ‘To what can we liken the kingdom of God?

WEBBE He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?

LSV And He said, “To what may we liken the Kingdom of God, or in what allegory may we compare it?

FBV What can we compare God's kingdom to? What illustration shall we use?” he asked.

TCNT Then Jesus said, “To what [fn]can we compare the kingdom of God? Or what parable can we use to [fn]describe it?

4:30 can ¦ shall 𝔐^pt HF PCK

4:30 describe ¦ present CT

T4T Jesus told them another parable. He said, “I will tell you [RHQ] how the number of people whose lives God rules in a new way will continue to grow (OR, each continue to have more and more influence in this world). I hope [RHQ] that this illustration will show this to you.

LEB ¶ And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable can we present it?

BBE And he said, What picture may we give of the kingdom of God, or with what story may we make it clear?

Moff He said also,
⇔ "To what can we compare the Realm of God?
⇔ how are we to put it in a parable?

Wymth Another saying of His was this: "How are we to picture the Kingdom of God? or by what figure of speech shall we represent it?

ASV And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth?

DRA And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it?

YLT And he said, 'To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile may we compare it?

Drby And he said, How should we liken the kingdom of [fn]God, or with what comparison should we compare it?

4.30 Elohim

RV And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth?

SLT And he said, To what should we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable should we hold it forth?

Wbstr And he said, To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

KJB-1769 ¶ And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
(¶ And he said, Whereunto/To_what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? )

KJB-1611 ¶ And he said, Wherunto shal we liken the kingdome of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps And he sayde: Wherevnto shall we lyken the kyngdome of God? Or with what comparyson shall we compare it?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva He saide moreouer, Whereunto shall wee liken the kingdome of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
(He said moreover/what’s_more, Whereunto/To_what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? )

Cvdl And he sayde: Where vnto wyl we licken the kyngdome of God? Or by what symilitude wyl we compare it?
(And he said: Where unto will we liken the kingdom of God? Or by what similitude will we compare it?)

TNT And he sayde: where vnto shall we lyke the kyngdome of God? or with what compareson shall we compare it?
(And he said: where unto shall we like the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? )

Wycl And he seide, To what thing schulen we likne the kyngdom of God? or to what parable schulen we comparisoun it?
(And he said, To what thing should we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable should we comparison it?)

Luth Und er sprach: Wem wollen wir das Reich Gottes vergleichen und durch welch Gleichnis wollen wir es vorbilden?
(And he spoke: Who want we/us the kingdom God’s compare and through which parable/allegory want we/us it role_models?)

ClVg Et dicebat: Cui assimilabimus regnum Dei? aut cui parabolæ comparabimus illud?
(And he_said: To_whom we_will_assimilate kingdom of_God? or to_whom parables we_will_compare it/this/that? )

UGNT καὶ ἔλεγεν, πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν?
(kai elegen, pōs homoiōsōmen taʸn Basileian tou Theou, aʸ en tini autaʸn parabolaʸ thōmen?)

SBL-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν· ⸀Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν ⸀τίνι ⸂αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν⸃;
(Kai elegen; ⸀Pōs homoiōsōmen taʸn basileian tou theou, aʸ en ⸀tini ⸂autaʸn parabolaʸ thōmen⸃;)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγεν, Τίνι ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ; Ἢ ἐν ποίᾳ παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτήν;
(Kai elegen, Tini homoiōsōmen taʸn basileian tou theou; Aʸ en poia parabolaʸ parabalōmen autaʸn;)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἔλεγε, [fn]Τίνι [fn]ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἢ ἐν [fn]ποίᾳ παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτήν;
(Kai elege, Tini homoiōsōmen taʸn basileian tou Theou; Aʸ en poia parabolaʸ parabalōmen autaʸn; )

4:30 τινι ¦ πως ANT CT

4:30 ομοιωσωμεν ¦ ομοιωσομεν 𝔐^pt HF PCK

4:30 ποια παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην ¦ τινι παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην ANT ¦ τινι αυτην παραβολη θωμεν CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:30–34: Jesus told the parable of a mustard seed

This parable compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. The parable illustrates how God’s kingdom will grow from a very small beginning to a very large size.

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 about a mustard seed

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a tiny seed that grows into a big shrub/bush

The mustard seed parable/story/illustration

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 13:31–34 and Luke 13:18–19.

4:30a

Then He asked,

¶ He also said,
¶ Then Jesus said/asked,

Then He asked: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Then He asked is the same phrase as in 4:26a that the BSB translated as Jesus also said. As there, this phrase indicates that Jesus was beginning a new topic.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

He continued, saying

He also said

Then Jesus said (NCV)

Because Jesus asked a rhetorical question, it is also possible to translate this as the NLT96 has done:

Jesus asked

4:30b

“To what can we compare the kingdom of God?

“Is there something we^(incl) can compare the kingdom of God to?
“Here’s what we^(incl) can compare God’s rule over his people to.

4:30c

With what parable shall we present it?

Or is there a parable to describe it? Here is something to compare it to:
Here is a story we^(incl) can use to illustrate what it is like.

4:30b–c

To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?: These two questions are similar in meaning. The first question To what can we compare the kingdom of God? is asking about a comparison in a general way. The second question With what parable shall we present it? is asking specifically about a parable for comparison. Another way to translate these questions is:

What shall we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable shall we use to describe it?

These are rhetorical questions. Jesus used them to introduce his teaching about the kingdom of God. They caused the listener to start thinking about what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus himself answered the rhetorical questions in 4:31–32. Translate these questions in a way which shows that Jesus was introducing a teaching about the kingdom of God. Some ways to translate this are:

As a rhetorical question or questions. For example:
Is there something we^(incl) can compare the kingdom of God to, or a parable to describe it? Here is something to compare it to:
Shall we^(incl) find something to compare the kingdom of God to? Shall we find a parable to describe it? How about this comparison?
As a statement. For example:
There is something we^(incl) can compare the kingdom of God to; we can use this parable to describe it.
Here’s what we^(incl) can compare the kingdom of God to. Let me tell you^(plur) this parable.
As a rhetorical question followed by a statement. For example:
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God? Here is a parable we can use to describe it.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to introduce a new teaching.

parable: Here Jesus used the word parable to describe the illustration about the mustard seed in 4:31–32. Use a word in your language that describes this illustration. See the notes on 4:2a and 4:10b.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤ ἐν τίνι αὐτήν παραβολῇ θῶμεν)

Jesus is using the question form to introduce what he is about to teach. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [We will now compare the kingdom of God to something. We will put it in a parable.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤ ἐν τίνι αὐτήν παραβολῇ θῶμεν)

By we, Jesus means himself and his audience, so use the inclusive form of that word in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Jesus uses this form because he wants his audience to be involved in thinking about how parables can help explain the kingdom of God. Alternate translation: [What would be a good comparison for us to use for the kingdom of God, or what parable could we use for it]

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

ἢ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤ ἐν τίνι αὐτήν παραβολῇ θῶμεν)

Here, the word or introduces another similar question. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a related question, or you could leave or untranslated. Alternate translation: [and] or [or again,]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν

with what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔλεγεν Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤ ἐν τίνι αὐτήν παραβολῇ θῶμεν)

Here Jesus speaks as if the kingdom of God were an object that he could put in a parable, which he speaks about as if it were a container. He means that he can explain the kingdom of God by using a parable. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [with what parable will we describe it] or [what parable can we use to explain it]

Parallel MARK 4:30

Section 4:30–34: Jesus told the parable of a mustard seed

4:30a

4:30b

4:30c

4:30b–c