The Parable of the Sower

The parable of The Parable of the Sower is illustrated for use in Bible translations in West Africa by Wycliffe Cameroon like this:

Illustration 1999 Mbaji Bawe Ernest, © Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Used with permission.

The following artwork is part of a series of 56 paintings on biblical themes by Kazakh artist Nelly Bube (born 1949):

Copyright by Norwegian Bible Society , used with permission.

For other images of Nelly Bube in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (Matthew 13:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:5:

  • Uma: “There were also some which fell on stony ground, just a little bit its land/soil. That sowed-thing very quickly grew, because the soil was thin.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Other seed fell onto bedrock with little soil (lit. not deep it’s soil). The seed sprouted easily because the soil was not deep.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There was also that which he was planting that fell and landed on the stones where the soil which was on top of the stones was very thin. And the plant quickly sprouted because the soil was thin.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Others that he broadcast, they fell on a rocky-area. Because its soil was shallow (lit. on-the-surface), they quickly-sprouted.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Where others got scattered was in a rocky place. Well since the soil was only superficial over those rocks, these seeds sprouted quickly.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Others of the seeds he sowed landed where the earth was not deep because there was rock under it. These seeds quickly sprouted because the earth wasn’t deep where they were.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 13:5

The reference to rocky ground can mean either ground full of rocks or a thin layer of soil on top of a rock ledge. The second of these two interpretations is more probable (Barclay “on ground where there was only a thin skin of earth over the rock”). The sun would have heated the rocks immediately beneath the rocky ground, causing the seed on it to sprout more quickly than the seed on the remaining ground.

The text uses they referring to the seeds three times in this verse. For the phrase they had not much soil, it may be better to say “there was not much soil (for the seeds to grow in)” or “they did not have enough soil to grow in.” Similarly they had no depth of soil can be “the soil wasn’t deep enough for them” or “they didn’t have soil there that was deep enough.”

Immediately can be “quickly” or “soon” (Good News Translation).

Whatever is the usual word for “sprouted” in a language can be used for sprang up.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:5

13:5a

Some: The word Some refers to another group of seeds.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Other seeds (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Some of the seeds

fell: Translate this verb as you did in 13:4b.

rocky ground, where it did not have much soil: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rocky ground refers to ground that has a layer of solid rock underneath. This kind of ground did not have much soil over the solid rock. It was shallow ground. This clause does not refer to soil and rocks mixed together.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

shallow soil with underlying rock (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊solid⌋ rock with a thin layer of soil
-or-
bedrock where there is only a little soil on top

it: The pronoun it refers to the seeds. In some translations, a pronoun here is not necessary. For example:

where there was little soil (God’s Word)

did not have much soil: The word soil refers to the kind of ground/earth where plants grow. In this situation, there was very little soil on top of the layer of rock.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

there wasn’t much dirt (New Century Version)

13:5b

It sprang up quickly: This clause refers to the seeds quickly sprouting and becoming plants.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The seeds soon sprouted (Good News Translation)
-or-
The plants came up quickly

It: As in 13:5a, the pronoun It refers to the seeds.

because: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason why the seeds sprang up quickly.

Here is another way to translate this word:

because

the soil was shallow: The clause the soil was shallow has a similar meaning to “it did not have much soil” in 13:5a. It means that they (the seeds) did not have much soil in which to grow.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

the soil was not deep

General Comment on 13:5b

The clause “It sprang up quickly” is the result clause, and the clause “because the soil was shallow” is the reason clause here. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

Since the soil was shallow, the seeds sprang up quickly

-or-

The soil was shallow, so the seeds sprang up quickly

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