13:4a–b

some seed: The seeds that the farmer sowed were some type of grain seeds. It was probably wheat or barley. If you need to say what kind of seed the farmer was planting, here are some suggestions:

• Use a general word for grain.

• Use a specific word for wheat or barley, which were grown in Israel in that time.

• Compare this to something that is commonly grown in your area. For example:

a farmer went out to plant something like rice

fell along the path: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as along the path describes an area where the soil was not cultivated and was hard. Because of the method of planting, some seeds accidentally fell on such places. In these areas birds could easily find the seeds and eat them.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as along normally means “beside.” However, in this context, it is probably more natural in many languages to translate it as “on.” For example:

fell on a footpath (New Living Translation (2004))

the path: This word refers to a footpath through or alongside a field. People who walk there trample on the soil and make it hard.

13:4c

the birds: The phrase the birds refers to birds in general and does not refer to any birds mentioned before. Introduce the birds in the story in the most natural way in your language. For example:

birds
-or-
some birds

came: It may be more natural in your language to use the verb “fly” rather than the verb came. For example:

the birds flew ⌊there⌋
-or-
swooped down (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

devoured it: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devoured refers to eating something completely.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

ate it up (New International Version)
-or-
ate all of them

If you have a specific word or phrase that describes the way that birds eat, such as the English word “pecked,” you should use that word here. For example:

pecked them until they were gone

-or-

gobbled them up (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

it: The pronoun it refers to the seeds. If you used the plural form “seeds” in 13:3b, you should use the plural pronoun here. For example:

them

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