13:21a
In this verse, Jesus explained the meaning of the seed that had few roots and withered away (13:6b). Jesus explained the meaning by keeping part of the metaphor.
But: Something unexpected happens here. We would expect a person who “receives [the message] with joy” (in 13:20c) to continue receiving/believing the message. But he does not. The Berean Standard Bible introduces this unexpected event with the conjunction But.
Here is another way to introduce this unexpected event:
yet (New Revised Standard Version)
since he has no root: This clause means “this type of person has no roots from the seed/message growing in him.” This means that this person has not allowed the roots of the message to enter his heart/mind and really change him.
Remember that Jesus compared people to different types of soil. And he compared the message to seed. So it is the seed that produces roots, not the person. The person is the thin soil in which the seed grows no roots.
As in 13:6b, this is an exaggeration. It means that the person has not allowed many roots to enter the soil of his heart/mind and really change him.
Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:
• Make the metaphor more complete. For example:
he has no/few roots ⌊from the seed/word growing⌋ in him
• Translate some of the meaning of the metaphor. For example:
he does not let God’s word grow deep in his heart/mind
• Translate the meaning of the phrase without the metaphor. For example:
he does not let the teaching go deep into his life (New Century Version)
-or-
he does not allow the message to deeply enter his heart
-or-
he does not allow the word/message to really change him
13:21b
The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated and some English versions literally translate as “but” occurs when a pair of clauses is related, and the first clause (13:21a) contains the word “no.” This conjunction does not always introduce a clear contrast. In many languages, it will be better to introduce 13:21b with another conjunction. For example:
so (New Century Version)
-or-
and (Good News Translation)
remains for only a season: This phrase indicates that the person accepts the message for only a short time.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
does not endure (NET Bible)
-or-
receives ⌊it⌋ only for a short time
-or-
he lasts only a little while (God’s Word)
13:21c
trouble: The word trouble generally describes troubles or difficulties of all kinds.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
suffering (God’s Word)
-or-
difficulty
-or-
tribulation (English Standard Version)
In some languages, it will be more natural to translate this noun as a verb. For example:
when ⌊people⌋ make him suffer
persecution: This word refers to “deliberately harming someone,” “mistreating someone,” or “causing someone to suffer.” Persecution occurs when people harass others physically, such as beating them or forcing them to leave their homes and taking their possessions. Persecution also occurs when people say hurtful things.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
oppression
-or-
harassment
In some languages, it will be more natural to translate this noun as a verb. For example:
when people oppress/harm him
The verb form (“persecute”) of this word occurs in 10:23a.
comes: This word can also be translated as “arises.” However, in some languages, it is not natural to say that tribulation and persecution “come” or “arise.” In some languages, it will be more natural to say:
when they have problems and when people are cruel to them
because of the word: The words because of indicate that “because he heard and received the word,” others persecuted him.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
due to the word ⌊of God⌋
-or-
because ⌊he received/welcomed⌋ the word
the word: You should translate the word in the same way as you translated it in 13:19a (“the message”) and 13:20b.
13:21d
he quickly falls away: This clause means that the person quickly stops believing the message.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
he soon turns away ⌊from the message⌋
-or-
it is not long before he stops believing ⌊God’s message⌋
-or-
he quickly gives up (New Century Version)
© 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.