8:5

In this verse Jesus began his parable. In some languages there may be a certain way to begin a parable. If that is true in your language, consider whether it is natural to begin this parable in that way.

8:5a

A farmer went out to sow his seed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as farmer is literally “one who sows/plants (seed).” Some English versions use a more specific term that reflects the Greek form. Others use a general term and allow the verb “sow” to explain what he was doing. This is the first time the farmer is mentioned in the parable. Introduce him here in a natural way in your language for this context. For example:

A sower went out to sow his seed (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Once there was a man who went out to sow grain (Good News Translation)

went out to sow his seed: The verb went out indicates that the farmer went to his field. In some languages a word such as out may not be necessary. He went to the place where he hoped to grow grain, and he carried many seeds with him.

sow: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sow refers to throwing seeds to the side and in front of the farmer. This method allowed the farmer to plant a large area quickly. This was a common way in that culture to plant grain seeds. In that culture, farmers did not plant grain seeds by putting them in the ground one by one. It may be helpful to include a picture of a farmer scattering his seeds.

If your readers know that this is the way the Jews planted seeds, they will more easily understand what the parable means. In languages that do not have a word for sow, you may be able to use a descriptive phrase such as:

plant by throwing/scattering
-or-
scatter to plant

This method was the normal way for Jewish farmers to plant. It does not describe a foolish farmer. It may be helpful to include a footnote to explain this. For example:

The Jews planted grain seeds by scattering the seeds over ground that the farmer had plowed, or that he would plow afterwards. In this way, the farmer could plant a large area quickly.

seed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as seed here refers to many individual seeds. In many languages, it will be necessary to use the plural form “seeds.” If you use a plural form here, you will also want to use plural pronouns throughout 8:5–8 and 8:11–15 to refer to these seeds. See, for example, the note on “it” at 8:5c.

If you need to say what kind of seed the farmer was planting, here are some suggestions:

• Use a general word for grain.

• Supply the name of a specific crop that people farmed in Israel in New Testament times, such as wheat or barley.

• If you do not have a general word for grain and do not have wheat or barley in your area, compare this to something that is commonly grown in your area. For example, if rice or millet is common, you could say:

a farmer went out to plant something like rice/millet

8:5b

And as he was sowing: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sowing is a form of the same verb that is translated as “sow” in 8:5a. It may be helpful in your language to specify what the farmer sowed. However, the Greek text does not specify this, and it may not be necessary in all languages. Other ways to translate this clause are:

As he was scattering the seed (New International Version)
-or-
As he scattered it across his field (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and while he was sowing (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

some seed fell along the path: The word some refers to some of the grain seeds. These seeds fell by accident on the path. Be careful not to use a word or expression that implies that the farmer intended for some of the seeds to fall on the path. Since he was throwing the seeds around, it was natural for a few of the seeds to fall there.

along the path: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as along usually means “near,” “beside,” or “alongside.” In this context, it may also mean “on.” English versions show a similar range of meaning. For example:

some fell beside the road (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
some fell on the edge of the path (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
some seed fell on a footpath (New Living Translation (2004))

Several English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, have “along,” which can mean either “beside” or “upon.” If you have a similar word in your language, you may use that word here. Otherwise use a word with a more specific meaning that is natural in your language. All these meanings fit the parable equally well.

the path: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the path refers to a footpath through or alongside a field. People who walk there trample on the soil and make it hard.

8:5c

it was trampled: The passive Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it was trampled means “people trampled on it” or “people walked on the seeds.” You may wish to use an active expression such as one of those in your translation.

it: If your word for “seeds” or “grain” is plural in form, be sure to use a plural pronoun here. For example:

they were trampled on

This applies to pronouns that refer to the seeds throughout 8:5–8:

• ate it/them up (8:5c)

• when it/they came up (8:6b)

• which grew up with it/them (8:7b)

• It/They came up (8:8b)

the birds of the air: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the birds of the air means “birds that fly in the air.” Since most birds fly in the air, in many languages it may not be natural to describe birds in this way. If this is true in your language, you may leave this phrase implied. For example:

birds (Good News Translation)

Another possibility is to say something such as:

the birds?⌊swooped down⌋ from the sky and ate it up

devoured it: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devoured it refers to eating something hungrily and completely. Other ways to say this are:

hungrily ate it all
-or-
ate them until they were gone

If you have a specific word or phrase that describes the way that birds eat, such as the English word “pecked,” you could translate in this way:

pecked it hungrily

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