Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Mark 4:4

And it came to passe as he sowed, that some fell by the way side, and the foules of the heauen came, and deuoured it vp.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Minister, Christian;   Perseverance;   Sermon;   Sower;   Word of God;   The Topic Concordance - Bearing Fruit;   Word of God;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apocalyptic;   Christ, Christology;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Allegory;   Mark, the Gospel of;   Sower;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Animals;   Discourse;   Doctrines;   Ear (2);   Field;   Fowl;   Husbandman ;   Nature and Natural Phenomena;   Parable;   Physical ;   Premeditation;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fell;   Fowl;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Birds;   Fowl;   Mark, the Gospel According to;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - New Testament;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
As he sowed, some seed fell along the path,
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the foules of the aire came, & deuoured it vp.
King James Version
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
English Standard Version
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
New American Standard Bible
as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
New Century Version
While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Amplified Bible
and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Legacy Standard Bible
and it happened that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Berean Standard Bible
And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Contemporary English Version
While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds.
Complete Jewish Bible
As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass as he sowed, one fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.
Easy-to-Read Version
While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed.
George Lamsa Translation
And when he had sown, some fell on the roadside, and the fowls came and ate it.
Good News Translation
As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Lexham English Bible
And it happened that while he was sowing, some seed fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Literal Translation
And as he sowed, it happened that one indeed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the heaven came and devoured it.
American Standard Version
and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.
Bible in Basic English
And while he was doing it, some was dropped by the wayside, and the birds came and took it for food.
Hebrew Names Version
and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
International Standard Version
As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up.
Etheridge Translation
and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, [fn] and the fowl came and devoured it.
Murdock Translation
And as he sowed, some [fn] fell on the side of the path; and a bird came, and devoured it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it fortuned as he sowed, that some fell by the way syde, and the fowles of the ayre came, and deuoured it vp.
English Revised Version
and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.
World English Bible
and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
Weymouth's New Testament
As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the while he sowith, summe seed felde aboute the weie, and briddis of heuene camen, and eeten it.
Update Bible Version
and it came to pass, as he sowed, some [seed] fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it.
New English Translation
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
New King James Version
And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air [fn] came and devoured it.
New Living Translation
As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
New Life Bible
As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. Birds came and ate them.
New Revised Standard
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some, indeed, fell by the pathway, and the birds came, and devoured it;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.
Revised Standard Version
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And it fortuned as he sowed that some fell by the waye syde and the fowles of the ayre came and devoured it vp.
Young's Literal Translation
and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& it happened whyle he was sowinge, that some fell by the waye syde. Then came the foules vnder the heauen, and ate it vp.
Mace New Testament (1729)
some of the seed happened to fall by the wayside, which the birds light upon, and devoured.
Simplified Cowboy Version
As he planted, some of the seeds fell on the road, and the birds ate it all up.

Contextual Overview

1 And hee began againe to teache by the sea side, and there gathered vnto him a great multitude, so that hee entred into a shippe, and sate in the sea, and all the people was by the sea side on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said vnto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken: Beholde, there went out a sower to sowe. 4 And it came to passe as he sowed, that some fell by the way side, and the foules of the heauen came, and deuoured it vp. 5 And some fell on stonie grounde, where it had not much earth, and by and by sprang vp, because it had not depth of earth. 6 But assoone as ye Sunne was vp, it was burnt vp, and because it had not roote, it withered away. 7 And some fell among the thornes, and the thornes grewe vp, and choked it, so that it gaue no fruite. 8 Some againe fell in good grounde, and did yeelde fruite that sprong vp, and grewe, and it brought foorth, some thirtie folde, some sixtie folde, and some an hundreth folde. 9 Then he said vnto them, He that hath eares to heare, let him heare. 10 And whe he was alone, they that were about him with the twelue, asked him of ye parable.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Mark 4:15, Genesis 15:11, Matthew 13:4, Matthew 13:19, Luke 8:5, Luke 8:12

Reciprocal: Mark 4:26 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
Then Kain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod towarde the Eastside of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
Kain also knewe his wife, which conceiued and bare Henoch: and he built a citie, and called the name of the citie by ye name of his sonne, Henoch.
Genesis 4:19
And Lamech tooke him two wiues: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
And Adah bare Iabal, who was the father of such as dwell in the tents, and of such as haue cattell.
Genesis 15:17
Also when the sunne went downe, there was a darkenes: & behold, a smoking fornace, and a firebrand, which went betweene those pieces.
Exodus 13:12
Then thou shalt set apart vnto the Lorde all that first openeth the wombe: also euery thing that first doeth open the wombe, and commeth forth of thy beast: the males shalbe the Lordes.
Leviticus 9:24
And there came a fire out from the Lord and consumed vpon the Altar the burnt offring and the fatte: which when all the people sawe, they gaue thankes, and fell on their faces.
Numbers 16:35
But there came out a fire from the Lorde, and consumed the two hundreth and fiftie men that offred the incense.
Numbers 18:12
All the fat of the oyle, and all the fat of the wine, and of the wheate, which they shal offer vnto the Lord for their first fruites, I haue giuen them vnto thee.
Numbers 18:17
But the first borne of a kowe, or the first borne of a sheepe, or the first borne of a goate shalt thou not redeeme: for they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood at the altar, and thou shalt burne their fat: it is a sacrifice made by fire for a sweete sauour vnto the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, as he sowed,.... Whilst he was preaching the, Gospel, casting about the precious seed of the word, he was laden with:

some fell by the way side; the common beaten path: the word was dispensed among some men comparable to it, on whom it lighted, but made no impression; there it lay, though not long, and was not inwardly received, and took no root, and consequently was of no effect:

and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up; the devils, who have their abode in the air, especially the prince of the posse of them; and the Syriac version reads it in the singular number, "and the fowl came"; that ravenous bird of prey, Satan, who goes about seeking what he may devour; and for this purpose attends where the word is preached, to hinder its usefulness as much as in him lies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the parable of the sower explained in the notes at Matthew 13:1-9.

See the parable of the sower explained in the notes at Matthew 13:1-9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 4:4. The fowls — του ουρανου, of the air, is the common reading; but it should be omitted, on the authority of nine uncial MSS., upwards of one hundred others, and almost all the versions. Bengel and Griesbach have left it out of the text. It seems to have been inserted in Mark, from Luke 8:5.


 
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