Translation commentary on Mark 4:26 – 4:27

Exegesis:

hōs … balē ‘as though he might throw.’

ballō (cf. 2.22) ‘throw’: here used of scattering seed upon the ground in the process of sowing (cf. 4.3).

sporon (4.26, 27) ‘seed’: used as a synonym for sperma ‘seed’ (4.31).

kai katheudē kai egeirētai ‘and he should sleep and rise’: notice the two present tenses here in contrast with the aorist balē ‘throw.’ ‘Sleep and rise night and day’ means ‘sleep at night and rise by day’ (cf. Moffatt) i.e. the normal routine of daily activities: cf. Lagrange sa vie tranquille.

katheudō (4.38; 5.39; 13.36; 14.37, 40, 41) ‘sleep.’

egeirō ‘rise’: here, rise from sleep (cf. 1.31).

blasta (only here in Mark) ‘it sprouts,’ ‘it buds.’

mēkunētai (only here in Mark) ‘it becomes long’ (from mēkos ‘length’), ‘it grows.’

hōs ouk oiden autos ‘he doesn’t know how’: i.e. the man does not know how this process of germination and growth of the seed he planted takes place.

Translation:

For kingdom of God see 1.15 and 4.11.

Is as if introduces a difficult grammatical construction, which requires some expansion in some languages, e.g. ‘This is how God rules; it is as a man who…’ (Copainalá Zoque).

For scatter seed in the sense of ‘sowing’ see 4.3.

Ground should be ‘prepared soil’ or some other expression denoting the ground for planting, not just thrown on the ground indiscriminately.

The generic seed must often be translated as plural ‘seeds’ or ‘grains’ (Tabasco Chontal).

If one translates literally sleep and rise night and day it may mean as in one language that the person is constantly disturbed night and day while he is sleeping. Many languages require that the sleeping and rising be properly paired with the night and day, e.g. ‘sleep in the night and rise in the day’ (Central Mazahua, Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Chicahuaxtla Triqui, Southern Subanen, Southern Bobo Madaré). However, in some languages one must shift the order of ‘night and day’ to ‘day and night,’ since the ordinary way of speaking of such succession is first to mention the day and then the night (Tetelcingo Nahuatl).

He does not know how must in some instances be expanded because of the implied ellipsis following how, e.g. ‘he does not know this happens’ (or ‘how they grow’), referring to the germination and growing process (Barrow Eskimo; cf. Toraja-Sa’dan and Indonesian ‘but he does not know how the growth goes’).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 4:26

Section 4:26–29

Jesus told the parable of the sprouting seeds

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
-or-
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.

Paragraph 4:26–29

4:26a

Jesus also said: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible 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
-or-
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.”

4:26b–c

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 (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
-or-
God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground (New International Version)
-or-
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
-or-
God’s kingship
-or-
God’s chieftaincy
-or-
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 Berean Standard Bible 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
-or-
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.

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