8:8a
Still other seed: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Still other seed introduces the fourth group of seeds. This is the final and most important group of seeds. Other ways to say this are:
And some of the seed (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Other seed (New American Standard Bible)
fell: Note that in this case the seeds fell, or landed, where the farmer wished them to fall.
good soil: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as good in this context means “fertile” or “productive.” The dirt itself was not of higher quality, but it was not packed down, shallow, or mixed with thorns. Consider what term is used in your language for soil in which plants grow well.
8:8b
it sprang up: This clause indicates that the seeds that fell on good soil sprouted and grew into mature plants. Other ways to translate it are:
This seed grew (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the plants grew (Good News Translation)
-or-
they sprouted and became ⌊strong⌋ plants
produced a crop: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as produced a crop here means “produced grain.”
a hundredfold: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates with the phrase a hundredfold literally means “a hundred times.” It means that the plants that grew from the seeds had a hundred times as many seeds as the farmer had planted. Another way to translate this is:
…the plants grew and bore grain, one hundred grains each. (Good News Translation)
A harvest of one hundred grains for each seed planted was exceptional in Israel, though probably not impossible or miraculous. If you use footnotes to give background information, you might include one here. For example:
An average harvest for the provinces of Galilee and Judea was around ten seeds for every seed that was planted. A harvest of one hundred seeds for every seed planted was possible but was considered exceptionally good.
8:8c
As Jesus said this, He called out: This part of the verse indicates that Jesus told the parable in 8:1–8b and then said, “He who has ears to hear…” (8:8d). Some other ways to say this part of the verse are:
After he had said this, he called out (God’s Word)
-or-
When Jesus had finished speaking, he said (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
And Jesus concluded (Good News Translation)
-or-
Then Jesus said loudly ⌊to the crowd⌋
He called out: The clause He called out introduces the saying in 8:8d. The clause indicates that Jesus spoke in a loud voice.
8:8d
He who has ears to hear, let him hear: With this saying, Jesus urged the crowd to think carefully about the parable that they had just heard. He implied that they should do more than just listen to it. They should understand its meaning and then act on what they learned from it.
This saying assumes that everyone in the crowd had ears that were able to hear. Jesus said it to everyone who was listening to him. Other ways to say this are:
If/since you have ears that can hear, then hear.
-or-
Those who do not have ears in vain, let them hear.
Notice that these examples use forms such as “you” or “them” instead of “he” and “him.” Use a natural way in your language to tell a saying like this to people.
In some languages, it may be more natural to express the meaning without mentioning ears. For example:
Whoever can hear, let him hear.
hear…hear: The word hear is used twice in this verse part but with slightly different meanings. The first hear refers to the physical ability to hear. The second hear has the sense of “listen attentively/carefully, understand, and be ready to obey.” Other ways to translate this are:
listen well/carefully
-or-
listen and understand (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
give attention
-or-
consider/heed carefully what you hear
let him hear: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as let him hear is an indirect command. It does not express permission. Another way to translate this is to use a word like “should.” For example:
Anyone who has ears for listening should listen! (New Jerusalem Bible)
In some languages it may be more natural to use a direct command. For example:
You people who can hear me, listen! (New Century Version)
In some languages it may be necessary to supply some information and indicate that the listener should listen to Jesus or to his parable/words. For example:
If you have ears to hear, listen ⌊to me⌋!
-or-
You who have ears to hear should listen to my words/parable.
General Comment on 8:8d
In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the two verb clauses. For example:
Listen, then, if you have ears! (Good News Translation)
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