1 And he began agayne to teache by the seesyde. And there gadered to gedder vnto him moche people so greatly that he entred into a ship and sate in the see and all the people was by the seeside on the shoore. 2 And he taught them many thynges in similitudes and sayde vnto them in his doctrine: 3 Herken to. Beholde There wet out a sower to sowe. 4 And it fortuned as he sowed that some fell by the waye syde and the fowles of the ayre came and devoured it vp. 5 Some fell on stony grounde where it had not moche erth: and by and by sprange vp because it had not deepth of erth: 6 but as sone as the sunne was vp it caught heet and because it had not rotynge wyddred awaye. 7 And some fell amonge the thornes and the thornes grewe vp and choked it so that it gave no frute. 8 And some fell vpon good grounde and dyd yelde frute that sproge and grewe and brought forthe: some thirty folde some sixtie folde and some an hundred folde. 9 And he sayde vnto them: he that hath eares to heare let him heare. 10 And when he was alone they that were aboute him with the .xii. axed him of the similitude. 11 And he sayde vnto them. To you it is geve to knowe the mistery of the kyngdome of God. But vnto them that are with out shall all thinges be done in similitudes: 12 That when they se they shall se and not discerne: and when they heare they shall heare and not vnderstonde: leste at any tyme they shulde tourne and their synnes shuld be forgeve them. 13 And he sayde vnto the: Perceave ye not this similitude? how then shulde ye vnderstonde all other similitudes? 14 The sower soweth the worde. 15 And they that are by the wayes syde where the worde is sowen are they to whom assone as they have herde it Satha cometh immediatly and takith awaye the worde that was sowe in their hertes. 16 And likewise they that are sowen on the stonye groude are they: which when they have harde the worde at once receave it with gladnes 17 yet have no rotes in them selves and so endure but a tyme: and anone as trouble and persecucion aryseth for the wordes sake they fall immediatly. 18 And they that are sowe amonge the thornes are soche as heare the worde: 19 and the care of this worlde and the disseytfulnes of ryches and the lustes of other thinges entre in and choocke the worde and it is made vnfrutfull. 20 And those that weare sowe in good grounde are they that heare the worde and receave it and bringe forth frute some thirty folde some sixty folde some an hundred folde. 21 And he sayde vnto them: is the candle lighted to be put vnder a busshell or vnder the table and not rather to be put on a candelstick? 22 For there is nothinge so prevy that shall not be opened: nether so secreet but that it shall come abroade. 23 Yf eny man have eares to heare let him heare. 24 And he sayde vnto them: take hede what ye heare. With what measure ye mete with the same shall it be measured vnto you agayne. And vnto you that heare shall more be geve. 25 For vnto him that hath shall it be geven: and from him that hath not shalbe taken awaye even that he hath. 26 And he sayde: so is the kyngdome of God even as yf a man shuld sowe seed in the groude 27 and shulde slepe and ryse vp night and daye: and the seede shuld springe and growe vp he not ware. 28 For the erth bringeth forthe frute of her silfe: fyrst the blade then the eares after that full corne in the eares. 29 And as sone as the frute is brought forth anone he throusteth in the sykell because the hervest is come. 30 And he sayde: where vnto shall we lyke the kyngdome of God? or with what compareson shall we compare it? 31 It is lyke a grayne of mustard seed which when it is sowe in the erth is the leest of all seedes that be in the erth: 32 but after that it is sowen it groweth vp and is greatest of all yerbes: and bereth greate brauches so that the fowles of the ayre maye dwell vnder the shadowe of it. 33 And with many soche similitudes he preached the worde vnto the after as they myght heare it. 34 And with out similitude spake he no thinge vnto them. But when they were aparte he expounded all thinges to his disciples. 35 And the same daye when even was come he sayde vnto them: let vs passe over vnto the other syde. 36 And they lefte the people and toke him even as he was in the shyp. And ther were also with him other shippes. 37 And ther arose a great storme of wynde and dasshed the waves into the ship so that it was full. 38 And he was in the sterne a slepe on a pelowe. And they awoke him and sayde to him: Master carest thou not that we perisshe? 39 And he rose vp and rebuked the wynde and sayde vnto the see: peace and be still. And the winde alayed and ther folowed a greate calme. 40 And he sayde vnto them: why are ye so fearfull? How is it that ye have no fayth? 41 And they feared excedingly and sayde one to another: what felowe is this? For booth winde and see obey him.
Mark · Tyndale New Testament (1534)
Mark 4 Tyndale New Testament (1534)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- New Testament only; original spelling.
Cross references (41)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Mark 2:13; Luke 5:1–3; Luke 8:4–10; Matthew 13:1–15; Mark 3:7
- 2 Matthew 13:34–35; Mark 3:23; Mark 4:11; Matthew 13:10; Matthew 13:3
- 3 James 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:6–9; John 4:35–38; Matthew 13:26; Mark 4:26–29
- 4 Matthew 13:19; Mark 4:15; Matthew 13:4; Luke 8:12; Genesis 15:11
- 5 Ezekiel 36:26; Luke 8:6; Luke 8:13; Hosea 10:12; Matthew 13:5–6
- 6 Jeremiah 17:5–8; James 1:11; Jonah 4:8; Isaiah 25:4; Colossians 2:7
- 7 Jeremiah 4:3; 1 John 2:15–16; Genesis 3:17–18; Luke 12:15; Luke 21:34
- 8 John 15:5; Colossians 1:6; Genesis 26:12; Mark 4:20; Philippians 1:11
- 9 Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:23–24; Revelation 3:22; Revelation 3:13; Revelation 3:6
- 10 Matthew 13:10–17; Luke 8:9–15; Mark 7:17; Matthew 13:36; Mark 4:34
- 11 Matthew 11:25; Luke 8:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:12; James 1:16–18; 1 Corinthians 5:12–13
- 12 Isaiah 6:9–10; Isaiah 44:18; Matthew 13:14–15; Jeremiah 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:4
- 13 Revelation 3:19; Luke 8:11–15; Matthew 13:51–52; 1 Corinthians 3:1–2; Hebrews 5:11–14
- 14 Acts 8:4; Matthew 13:19; 1 Peter 1:23–25; Luke 8:11; Matthew 13:37
- 15 1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 13:19; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Luke 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4
- 16 Luke 8:13; Matthew 13:20–21; Mark 6:20; John 5:35; Ezekiel 33:31–32
- 17 Matthew 11:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:3–5; Revelation 2:10; Matthew 12:31; John 15:2–7
- 18 Luke 8:14; Jeremiah 4:3; Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:7
- 19 1 John 2:15–17; 1 Timothy 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Peter 4:2–3; Philippians 4:6
- 20 Colossians 1:10; Luke 8:15; John 15:4–5; Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:8
- 21 Matthew 5:15; Luke 11:33; Luke 8:16; Isaiah 60:1–3; Ephesians 5:3–15
- 22 Luke 8:17; Ecclesiastes 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Psalm 78:2–4; Matthew 10:26–27
- 23 Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9; Revelation 2:29; Revelation 2:7; Revelation 2:17
- 24 Hebrews 2:1; Luke 8:18; Matthew 7:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6; Acts 17:11
- 25 Matthew 13:12; Luke 8:18; Matthew 25:28–29; John 15:2; Luke 16:9–12
- 26 Matthew 13:24; 1 Corinthians 3:6–9; 1 Peter 1:23–25; Luke 8:11; Luke 8:5
- 27 Ecclesiastes 11:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Ecclesiastes 8:17; 1 Corinthians 15:37–38; John 3:7–8
- 28 Philippians 1:9–11; Hosea 6:3; Mark 4:31–32; Colossians 1:10; Matthew 13:26
- 29 Joel 3:13; Matthew 13:30; Isaiah 57:1–2; Matthew 13:40–43; Job 5:26
- 30 Matthew 13:31–32; Luke 13:18–21; Lamentations 2:13; Matthew 13:24; Matthew 11:16
- 31 Acts 19:20; Genesis 22:17–18; Luke 13:18–19; Daniel 2:44–45; Malachi 1:11
- 32 Daniel 4:20–22; Daniel 4:10–14; Ezekiel 31:3–10; Psalm 80:9–11; Psalm 91:1
- 33 Matthew 13:34–35; John 16:12; 1 Corinthians 3:1–2; Hebrews 5:11–14
- 34 John 16:25; Luke 24:27; Mark 4:10; Matthew 13:36–43; Matthew 15:15–20
- 35 Matthew 8:18; Luke 8:25; Luke 8:22; Matthew 8:23–27; Matthew 14:22
- 36 Mark 4:1; Mark 3:9; Mark 5:2; Mark 5:21
- 37 Matthew 8:23–24; Job 1:19; Luke 8:22–23; Jonah 1:4; Psalm 107:23–31
- 38 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 8:25; Isaiah 54:6–8; Luke 8:24
- 39 Psalm 107:29; Psalm 89:9; Psalm 29:10; Psalm 65:7; Jeremiah 5:22
- 40 Luke 8:25; Matthew 8:26; Matthew 14:31; Isaiah 43:2; Matthew 16:8
- 41 Luke 8:25; Job 38:11; 1 Samuel 12:18–20; Jonah 1:9–10; Jonah 1:15–16
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… if they do not call Himself the Son of the Creator of the world, that is, His Word, through whom the wood fructifies, and the fountains gush forth, and the earth gives "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear."
Therefore also another evangelist saith that He reproved them, because they do not understand; saying, "How knew ye not the parable?" But not for this cause only doth He speak in parables, but that He may also make His discourse more vivid, and fix the memory of it in them more perfectly, and bring the things before their sight.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)