Mark 4:21

Revised Standard Version

And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?

King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto them, Is a candle brought to be put vnder a bushell, or vnder a bed? & not to be set on a candlesticke?

King James Version
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

English Standard Version
And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

New American Standard Bible
And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?

New Century Version
Then Jesus said to them, "Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand.

Amplified Bible
He said to them, "A lamp is not brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not [brought in] to be put on the lampstand?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was saying to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand?

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus also said to them, "Does anyone bring in a lamp so he can place it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn't he set it on a lampstand?

Contemporary English Version
Jesus also said: You don't light a lamp and put it under a clay pot or under a bed. Don't you put a lamp on a lampstand?

Complete Jewish Bible
He said to them, "A lamp isn't brought in to be put under a bowl or under the bed, is it? Wouldn't you put it on a lampstand?

Darby Translation
And he said to them, Does the lamp come that it should be put under the bushel or under the couch? [Is it] not that it should be set upon the lamp-stand?

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Jesus said to them, "You don't take a lamp and hide it under a bowl or a bed, do you? Of course not. You put it on a lampstand.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Also he saide vnto them, Commeth the candle in, to be put vnder a bushell, or vnder the bed, and not to be put on a candlesticke?

George Lamsa Translation
And he said to them, Is a lamp brought and put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not put on a lampholder?

Good News Translation
Jesus continued, "Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Isn't it put on the lampstand?

Lexham English Bible
And he said to them, "Surely a lamp is not brought so that it may be put under a bushel basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not so that it may be put on a lampstand?

Literal Translation
And He said to them, Does the lamp come that it may be put under the grain measure, or under the bed? Is it not also that it may be put on the lampstand?

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, and not to be put on the stand?

Bible in Basic English
And he said to them, When the light comes in, do people put it under a vessel, or under the bed, and not on its table?

Hebrew Names Version
He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a menorah?

International Standard Version
Then Jesushe">[fn] said to them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lampstand, isn't it?Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16; 11:33;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And he said to them, A lamp never cometh to be put under a measure, or under a bed: is it not set upon a candlestick ?

Murdock Translation
And he said to them: Is a lamp brought to be placed under a bushel, or under a bed? Is it not to be placed on a light-stand?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he saide vnto them: Is the candle lyghted to be put vnder a busshell, or vnder the table? And not to be put on a candelsticke?

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, and not to be put on the stand?

World English Bible
He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under the bed? Isn't it put on the lampstand?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he said to them, Is a candle brought to be cut under a bushel or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick?

Weymouth's New Testament
He went on to say, "Is the lamp brought in in order to be put under the bushel or under the bed? Is it not rather in order that it may be placed on the lampstand?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Wher a lanterne cometh, that it be put vndur a buschel, or vndur a bed? nay, but that it be put on a candilstike?

Update Bible Version
And he said to them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, [and] not to be put on the stand?

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Is a candle brought to be put under a close vessel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

New English Translation
He also said to them, "A lamp isn't brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn't it to be placed on a lampstand?

New King James Version
Luke 8:16-18">[xr] Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?

New Living Translation
Then Jesus asked them, "Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.

New Life Bible
He said to them, "Is a lamp to be put under a pail or under a bed? Should it not be put on a lamp-stand?

New Revised Standard
He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he was saying unto them - Doth the lamp come that under the measure it should be put, or under the couch? Is it not that upon the lampstand it may be put?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: Doth a candle come in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he sayde vnto them: is ye candle lighted to be put vnder a busshell or vnder ye table and not rather to be put on a cadelstick?

Young's Literal Translation
And he said to them, `Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch -- not that it may be put on the lamp-stand?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde vnto the: Is a candle lighted to be put vnder a busshell, or vnder a table? Is it not lighted, to be set vpon a candelsticke?

Mace New Testament (1729)
Again he said, is a lamp ever brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? or to be set on a stand?

THE MESSAGE
Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Then Jesus posed a question to them, "Would you light a lamp and then stick it in your bedroll? Of course not. A lamp is lifted up high so its light can shine far.

Contextual Overview

²¹ And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? ²² For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. ²³ If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." ²⁴ And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. ²⁵ For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." ²⁶ And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. ²⁸ The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." ³⁰ And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Is a: Isaiah 60:1-3, Matthew 5:15, Luke 8:16, Luke 11:33, 1 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 5:3-15, Philippians 2:15, Philippians 2:16

bushel: "The word in the original signifieth a less measure, as Matthew 5:15, marg.

Cross-References

Genesis 4:11
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:12
When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

Genesis 31:27
Why did you flee secretly, and cheat me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre?

Job 21:12
They sing to the tambourine and the lyre, and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.

Isaiah 5:12
They have lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine at their feasts; but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands.

Amos 6:5
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves instruments of music;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto them,.... At the same time, after he had explained the parable of the sower; for though the following parabolical and proverbial expressions were delivered by Christ at other, and different times, and some of them twice, as related by other evangelists; yet they might be all of them expressed or repeated at this time, by our Lord, showing why he explained the above parable to his disciples; and that though he delivered the mysteries of the Gospel in parables to them that were without, yet it was not his design that these things should be always kept a secret, and that from all men: for as the Gospel might be compared to seed, so likewise to a candle, the design and use of which is to give light to men: wherefore he asks,

is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick? when a candle is brought into a room, in the night, where company are together, to converse, or read, or work; is it proper that it should be covered with a bushel, or any other hollow vessel? or when brought into a bedchamber, is it right to put it under the bed? is it not most fitting and convenient, that it should be set in a candlestick, and then it will be of use to all in the room? so the Gospel, which is the candle of the Lord, he had lighted up in the evening of the Jewish world, in the land of Judea; it was not his will that it should be always, and altogether, and from all men, covered with parables, and dark sayings, without any explanation of them; but that the light of it should be communicated, especially to them his; disciples, who were to be the lights of the world, and which were to shine openly before men, for their good, and the glory of his heavenly Father; see Matthew 5:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is a candle brought ... - A candle is not lit up to be put immediately under a measure or a bed, where it can give no light. Its design is to give light. So my preaching by parables is not designed to obscure the truth, but to throw light on it. You should understand those parables, and, understanding them, should impart the truth to others also, as a candle throws its beams upon a dark world.

Bushel - The word here used in the original means a measure for grain containing about 12 quarts.

Bed - A couch, either to sleep on at night or to recline on at their meals. Probably the latter is here meant, and is equivalent to our saying a candle is not brought to be put “under” the table, but “on” it. See the notes at Matthew 23:6.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 21. Is a candle - put under a bushel! — The design of my preaching is to enlighten men; my parables not being designed to hide the truth, but to make it more manifest.