4:3a

Listen: In Greek, this parable begins with two words: “Listen, look!” These words indicate that Jesus wanted the people to listen carefully to the parable that follows. Many English versions translate only the word that means Listen, as the Berean Standard Bible does. They do not translate both words. (An exception to this is the King James Version, which says “Hearken, behold.”) Use whatever expression is natural in your language when someone wants people to listen carefully to a story that he is about to tell.

4:3b

farmer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as farmer is literally “one who sows/plants (seed).” Some English versions follow the Greek and use the more specific term “sower” (Revised Standard Version). Others simply say “a man” (Good News Bible) and allow the verb to explain his work. Use whatever term will be most natural in your language here.

went out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went out indicates that the farmer went to his field. It may be more natural in your language not to translate the word out.

In some languages it may be necessary to say where the farmer went from. The farmer probably went from his home.

to 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. In that culture, farmers did not plant grain seeds by putting them in the ground one by one.

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:

to plant by throwing/scattering
-or-
to scatter in order to plant

• This method was the normal way for Jewish farmers to plant. It does not describe a foolish farmer. If your readers might think that this method of planting is foolish, you may want to include a footnote. For example:

The Jewish custom was to scatter seeds over ground that the farmer had plowed, or that he would plow afterwards to cover the seeds. In this way, the farmer could plant a large area quickly.

It may also be helpful to include a picture here of a farmer scattering his seeds.

seed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as seed here refers to many seeds. You may want to use the plural form “seeds.” If you use a plural form here, you should also use plural pronouns throughout 4:5–8 to refer to these seeds. See, for example, the note on “it” at 4:4c.

The farmer was probably planting wheat seeds or seeds of another kind of grain. 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 grown in Israel in that time, 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

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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