4:19

The seeds that were sown among thorns (4:18) have now become grain plants. But these grain plants are not able to grow. The thorn plants cause the grain plants to remain small. In the same way, some people accept the word of God, but they continually think about earthly things. So they never become strong and faithful believers.

There are three things that “come in and choke the word.” They are “the worries of this life” (4:19a), “the deceitfulness of wealth” (4:19b), and “the desires for other things” (4:19b). Your translation should indicate that all three things “come in and choke the word.”

4:19a

but the worries of this life: The words worries of this life refers to the anxieties and concerns that are common to human beings.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

the cares of life on earth
-or-
the worries of life (God’s Word)
-or-
the anxieties/concerns of daily living

If the word for worries in your language already implies worrying about earthly things, it may not be necessary to translate the phrase of this life.

In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb here rather than the noun worries. For example:

but worrying about this life
-or-
but they are worried about the needs of daily life

4:19b

the deceitfulness of wealth: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deceitfulness describes something that “deceives” or “tricks” someone. Wealth/money appears to be something that will make people happy, but it does not. Wealth “deceives” a person so that he seeks riches more than he seeks ways to follow God.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

lure of riches (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
seduction/enticement of riches
-or-
the lie that wealth will make one happy
-or-
deceitful pleasures of riches (God’s Word)

In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb here rather than the noun deceitfulness. For example:

they are deceived by the false promise of wealth
-or-
they seek wealth and it tricks/traps them

4:19c

the desire for other things: The phrase the desire for other things refers generally to wanting material things.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

all other kinds of desires (Good News Bible)
-or-
they want many nice things

desire: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as desire may include lust or sexual desire. It also refers more generally to all kinds of evil desires or cravings.

If it is more natural in your language to use a verb here in place of the noun desire, you can say:

and desiring many other things
-or-
and they also desire/want other things

other things: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as other things here refers to other types of possessions and riches.

come in: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as come in here means “enter” the person’s life/heart/mind. Worries (4:19a), deceit (4:19b), and desires (4:19c) all happen in the mind/heart. Here, those three things are viewed as coming into the mind/heart from outside it.

Here are some other ways to say this:

enter their lives/mind/heart
-or-
fill the mind/heart

If you translate “worries,” “deceitfulness,” and “desires” 4:19a–c as verbs, it may not be necessary to also translate the phrase come in. For example:

19a…but they are worried about the needs of daily life; 19bthey seek wealth and it deceives them, 19cand they also desire/want/lust other things. So all these things 19dchoke…

4:19d

choke the word: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as choke refers to the way weeds and thorns crowd out other plants and prevent them from growing normally. This is same word as in 4:7b.

Here, this word is used metaphorically. It refers to the way the three things in 4:19a–c keep the mind too busy to think about the word.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

crowd/press the word of God
-or-
prevent/hinder the word of God from growing
-or-
overpower the word of God in their mind/thinking

and it becomes unfruitful: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as it becomes unfruitful tells what happens when the word of God is choked. The New Living Translation has another way to express this result:

so no fruit is produced

unfruitful: The word unfruitful means “not producing fruit.” In the New Testament, fruit is a metaphor for doing good deeds/actions. The grain plants were crowded out and did not produce a crop. In the same way, the word of God was crowded out of this person’s mind/heart and did not produce any results in his life.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

so it produces no fruit in that person’s life
-or-
and there is no response in that person’s life
-or-
and so they do not act and think according to God’s message

In some languages, it may be more natural to start 4:19d with a new sentence. For example:

So all these things choke the word of God, and it bears no fruit.
-or-
As a result the word of God is never in their thoughts and it has no effect in their lives.

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