Mark 4:14
What does Mark 4:14 mean?
A plain-English look at Mark 4:14 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Mark 4:14 means
Jesus began to uncover the meaning of the Parable of the Sower by identifying the central element: the seed. He plainly stated that the seed represents "the word," referring to the message of the Kingdom of God, the gospel, or God's revealed truth. This initial identification is crucial, as it sets the interpretative framework for understanding all the various responses to this divine message.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The sower soweth the word.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The sower soweth the word.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The sower soweth the word.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The seed is the word.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862He who is sowing doth sow the word;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752He that soweth, soweth the word.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The sower sows the word:
Context
This verse initiates Jesus' explicit interpretation of the Parable of the Sower for His disciples. It directly follows His rhetorical question about their lack of understanding regarding this foundational parable. By identifying the "seed" as "the word," Jesus provides the first and most critical key to unlocking the parable's meaning, setting the stage for explaining the different types of soil that follow.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Luke 1:2
even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
- Mark 4:3
Hearken: Behold, the sower went forth to sow:
- Luke 8:11
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
- Matthew 13:37
And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
- 1 Peter 1:23
having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.
- Acts 8:4
They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.
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