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Saturday, May 3rd, 2025
the Second Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Mark 4:13

Then Jesus asked them, "Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Apostasy;   Apostles;   Jesus, the Christ;   Minister, Christian;   Sermon;   Sower;   Word of God;   The Topic Concordance - Bearing Fruit;   Devil/devils;   Word of God;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Parables;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apocalyptic;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Allegory;   Mark, the Gospel of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Allegory;   Discourse;   Doctrines;   Ear (2);   Mystery ;   Parable;   Patience ;   Perplexity;   Physical ;   Questions and Answers;   Teaching of Jesus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Knowledge;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - New Testament;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?
King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will you know all parables?
King James Version
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
English Standard Version
And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
New American Standard Bible
And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
New Century Version
Then Jesus said to his followers, "Don't you understand this story? If you don't, how will you understand any story?
Amplified Bible
Then He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
Legacy Standard Bible
And He *said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
Contemporary English Version
Jesus told them: If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Yeshua said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you be able to understand any parable?
Darby Translation
And he says to them, Do ye not know this parable? and how will ye be acquainted with all the parables?
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Jesus said to the followers, "Do you understand this story? If you don't, how will you understand any story?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Againe he said vnto them, Perceiue ye not this parable? howe then should ye vnderstand all other parables?
George Lamsa Translation
And he said to them, Do you not know this parable? how then will you know all the parables?
Lexham English Bible
And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?
Literal Translation
And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all parables?
American Standard Version
And he saith unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how shall ye know all the parables?
Bible in Basic English
And he said to them, If you are not clear about this story, how will you be clear about the others?
Hebrew Names Version
He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
International Standard Version
Then he said to them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables?
Etheridge Translation
And he said to them, Do you not know this parable? how will you know all parables?
Murdock Translation
And he said to them: Do ye not understand this similitude? And how will ye understand all similitudes?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde vnto them: Knowe ye not this parable? And howe then wyll ye knowe all other parables?
English Revised Version
And he saith unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how shall ye know all the parables?
World English Bible
He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he saith to them, Know ye not this parable? How then will ye know all parables?
Weymouth's New Testament
"Do you all miss the meaning of this parable?" He added; "how then will you understand the rest of my parables?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Knowe not ye this parable? and hou ye schulen knowe alle parablis?
Update Bible Version
And he says to them, Do you not know this parable? and how shall you know all the parables?
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
New English Translation
He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable?
New King James Version
Matthew 13:18-23; Luke 8:11-15">[xr] And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
New Living Translation
Then Jesus said to them, "If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
New Life Bible
Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this picture-story? Then how will you understand any of the picture-stories?
New Revised Standard
And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he saith unto them - Know ye not this parable? How then will ye get to know all the parables?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this, parable? and how shall you know all parables?
Revised Standard Version
And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he sayde vnto the: Perceave ye not this similitude? how then shulde ye vnderstonde all other similitudes?
Young's Literal Translation
And he saith to them, `Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde vnto them: Vnderstonde ye not this parable? How wyl ye then vnderstonde all other parables?
Mace New Testament (1729)
but if, said he, you don't comprehend this easy parable, how can ye understand any of the rest?
THE MESSAGE
He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Then Jesus said, "If you can't understand this simple story about the seeds, how are you going to understand all the other stories?

Contextual Overview

1 Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water's edge. 2 He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them: 3 "Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. 4 As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. 6 Then, when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. 7 Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn't bear grain. 8 But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and bore grain: some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others one hundred." 9 And Jesus concluded, "Listen, then, if you have ears!" 10 When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Know: Mark 7:17, Mark 7:18, Matthew 13:51, Matthew 13:52, Matthew 15:15-17, Matthew 16:8, Matthew 16:9, Luke 24:25, 1 Corinthians 3:1, 1 Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:11-14, Revelation 3:19

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 17:12 - Know Zechariah 4:5 - Knowest Matthew 13:3 - in John 13:12 - Know John 16:25 - proverbs

Cross-References

Job 15:22
They have no hope of escaping from darkness, for somewhere a sword is waiting to kill them,
Revelation 16:9
They were burned by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God, who has authority over these plagues. But they would not turn from their sins and praise his greatness.
Revelation 16:11
and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not turn from their evil ways.
Revelation 16:21
Huge hailstones, each weighing as much as a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, who cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because it was such a terrible plague.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he saith unto them, know ye not this parable?.... So easy to be understood, taken from things common, and which fall under every one's observation:

and how then will you know all parables? if not this single one, and which is so plain, how will ye be able to understand the numerous parables hereafter to be related, and which will be much more difficult?

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 13:10-17. On Mark 4:12, see the notes at John 12:39-40.

When he was alone - That is, separate from the multitude. When he withdrew from the multitude a few followed him for the purpose of more instruction.

Mark 4:13

Know ye not this parable? - This which is so plain and obvious.

How then will ye know all parables? - Those which are more difficult and obscure. As they were themselves to be “teachers,” it was important that they should be acquainted with the whole system of religion - of much more importance for them at that time than for the mass of the people.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 4:13. Know ye not this parable? — The scope and design of which is so very obvious.

How then will ye know all parables? — Of which mode of teaching ye should be perfect masters, in order that ye may be able successfully to teach others. This verse is not found in any of the other evangelists.


 
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