Mark 4:32 kjv
But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Mark 4:32 nkjv
but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."
Mark 4:32 niv
Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade."
Mark 4:32 esv
yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
Mark 4:32 nlt
but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade."
Mark 4 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 4:31 | "It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground...is the smallest of all the seeds." | Establishes the kingdom's small beginning. |
| Matt 13:31-32 | "He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed..." | Parallel account of the Mustard Seed parable. |
| Lk 13:18-19 | "He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed..." | Parallel account, emphasizing growth and refuge. |
| Ezek 17:23 | "On the mountain of the height of Israel I will plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird..." | Old Testament imagery of great kingdom as a tree offering refuge. |
| Ezek 31:6 | "All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs..." | Further OT imagery of mighty kingdom (Assyria/Egypt) providing shelter for nations. |
| Dan 4:12 | "Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches..." | Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, later God's kingdom, offers refuge; great growth. |
| Dan 4:21 | "...its fruit was abundant, and in it was food for all, under which the beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived." | Repeats the imagery of shelter under a great tree. |
| Isa 2:2 | "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains..." | Prophetic vision of God's kingdom drawing all nations. |
| Dan 2:34-35 | "...a stone was cut out by no human hand...and became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." | God's kingdom growing to fill the earth. |
| Dan 2:44-45 | "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed..." | God's eternal and growing kingdom. |
| Zech 4:10 | "For whoever has despised the day of small beginnings shall rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel." | Do not despise God's work, however small its start. |
| Jn 12:24 | "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." | Principle of small sacrifice leading to great fruit. |
| Acts 1:8 | "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." | Demonstrates the worldwide expansion of the Gospel/Kingdom. |
| Col 1:6 | "...the gospel...is bearing fruit and growing all over the world—just as it has been doing among you..." | Confirmation of the Gospel's dynamic growth globally. |
| Phil 1:6 | "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." | God's commitment to complete His work from a small start. |
| Matt 13:33 | "He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour..." | Another parable of pervasive, internal growth from small beginning. |
| Lk 13:20-21 | "And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour..." | Parallel leaven parable, illustrating pervasive spread. |
| Matt 16:18 | "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." | The building of the Church, an expression of the Kingdom, with unstoppable growth. |
| Rev 7:9 | "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne..." | Vision of the final, vast, and diverse community within the completed Kingdom. |
| Ps 91:4 | "He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge..." | Image of divine protection and refuge. |
| Isa 49:6 | "I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." | God's purpose for His people to be a blessing to all nations. |
| Rom 15:12 | "And again Isaiah says, 'The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.'" | Jesus, the "root" (small beginning), offers hope to Gentiles (nations, "birds"). |
Mark 4 verses
Mark 4 32 Meaning
This verse, part of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, illustrates the nature of the Kingdom of God. It signifies that the Kingdom, though commencing from exceptionally humble and seemingly insignificant beginnings—like the smallest of seeds—possesses an inherent divine vitality that ensures its phenomenal, unexpected, and encompassing growth. Ultimately, this growth culminates in a vast spiritual entity that offers shelter, security, and sustenance to a multitude of peoples, symbolized by the birds seeking refuge.
Mark 4 32 Context
Mark 4:32 is nestled within a series of parables delivered by Jesus, specifically the Parable of the Mustard Seed, which immediately follows the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Growing Seed. This placement emphasizes a core theme in Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God: its nature, growth, and mystery. In the broader context of Mark's Gospel, Jesus' ministry often began in obscure places with a small following, defying the prevalent Jewish expectation of an immediate, glorious, and politically powerful Messiah and Kingdom. The historical context reflects a Jewish populace awaiting a military-political liberator who would overthrow Roman rule and restore an earthly kingdom. The parable stands as a gentle yet firm corrective, portraying the Kingdom's establishment as an organic, quiet, and deceptively small process that, by divine power, will yield results far beyond human imagination, eventually providing refuge to all who seek it, drawing people from every "nation."
Mark 4 32 Word analysis
- "but when it is sown," (Gk: sparē, from speirō - to sow, scatter seed)
- Significance: Highlights the initial action of planting. It implies a humble, almost unnoticed beginning, not a grand establishment. It suggests divine initiation and human instrumentality in spreading.
- "it grows up" (Gk: anabainei, from anabainō - to go up, ascend, grow)
- Significance: Denotes natural, organic, and unstoppable development. The growth is inherent and God-ordained, not forced or externally powered.
- "and becomes larger than all the garden plants" (Gk: meizon pantōn tōn lachanōn gineta; meizon - greater, larger; lachanōn - vegetables, garden herbs)
- Significance: A specific comparison. While mustard isn't the largest tree, it conspicuously outgrows common cultivated garden vegetables. This highlights its remarkable, even astonishing, growth relative to its typical category or surroundings. It's a plant from the garden that transcends what one might expect in a garden, pointing to the Kingdom's unexpected magnitude. This challenges conventional understanding of the Messiah's coming.
- "and puts out large branches," (Gk: kladous megalous poiei; kladous - branches, twigs; megalous - large, great)
- Significance: Emphasizes robust and expansive growth, capable of providing significant shade and structure. The development is not merely vertical but outward, indicating an inclusive embrace.
- "so that" (Gk: hōste - with the result that, so that)
- Significance: Indicates the divine purpose or intended outcome of the kingdom's immense growth. The expansion isn't for its own sake, but for a benevolent end.
- "the birds of the air" (Gk: ta peteina tou ouranou; peteina - flying creatures, birds; ouranou - heaven, sky)
- Significance: In Old Testament prophetic imagery (e.g., Ezek 17, 31; Dan 4), birds finding shelter in a great tree represent various nations or peoples seeking refuge and safety under a great kingdom or ruler. This points directly to the universal and international reach of the Kingdom of God, inviting all peoples, not just Israel.
- "can make nests in its shade." (Gk: kataskēnoun hypo tēn skian autou; kataskēnoun - to encamp, settle down, make a permanent abode/nest; skian - shadow, shade)
- Significance: Implies permanent dwelling, safety, comfort, and security. The Kingdom provides a protective and welcoming environment for those who come seeking refuge, encompassing and sheltering them. The phrase signifies peace and rest for the multitude.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "when it is sown, it grows up": This phrase captures the mystery and power of God's working. The human act of "sowing" (sharing the Gospel, simple obedience) is small, but the "growing up" is the miraculous, divine work of God that gives the increase, revealing its organic and irresistible nature.
- "larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches": This highlights the astonishing disproportion between the Kingdom's humble origins and its massive development. It becomes something utterly out of scale for its starting category, making room for others.
- "the birds of the air can make nests in its shade": This crucial phrase reveals the ultimate purpose and destiny of the Kingdom of God. It is not just about size, but about the profound blessing and refuge it offers to a vast, diverse community drawn from "every nation, tribe, people, and language," consistent with the universal scope of God's redemptive plan throughout Scripture.
Mark 4 32 Bonus section
The mustard plant (Sinapis nigra or Brassica nigra) in Palestine, while initially a tiny seed, can grow into a substantial shrub, reaching heights of 10-15 feet or more, quite unlike the small culinary herb often pictured. This factual detail enhances the parable's force: the "vegetable" grows to truly tree-like proportions. The parable also implicitly serves as a polemic against the disciples' own (and Israel's wider) misunderstanding of the Kingdom's immediate future; they expected a magnificent, political, and immediate kingdom, whereas Jesus reveals it begins humbly, expands mysteriously, and finally includes unexpected populations (the Gentiles). This radical inclusivity, signified by the "birds of the air," would have been a surprising, even challenging, revelation for the original Jewish audience expecting a kingdom solely for Israel.
Mark 4 32 Commentary
Mark 4:32 succinctly presents a profound paradox about the Kingdom of God. From a minuscule, often overlooked beginning, represented by the almost imperceptible mustard seed—the "smallest of all seeds" in ancient Palestinian agricultural understanding—the Kingdom, empowered by divine agency, exhibits an astonishing and counter-intuitive growth. This expansion transforms it from a mere "garden plant" into something significant enough to host all manner of "birds," an Old Testament metaphor for nations and peoples seeking refuge and finding a secure dwelling place. The parable teaches that the Kingdom of God operates not through worldly power or grand, immediate displays, but through quiet, organic development that far exceeds human expectation and ultimately encompasses all who come to it, offering them security and belonging under its encompassing embrace.