Mark 4:31
in Mark 4It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth,
KJV
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
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This verse in Mark 4
Commentary
13 notes on this verseThe word which proclaims the kingdom of heaven is sharp and pungent as mustard. It represses bile (anger) and checks inflammation (pride). From this word flows the soul's true vitality and fitness for eternity. To such increased size did the growth of the word come that the tree which sprang from it (that is the Church of Christ now being established over the whole earth) filled the world, so that the birds of the air (that is, holy angels and lofty souls) dwelt in its branches.
This site's exposition
Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God
on Mark 4:30-32
The mustard seed is proverbially the smallest of Palestinian garden seeds, and its growth into a plant large enough for birds to lodge under its branches pictures the kingdom's beginning in near invisibility and ending in a shelter reaching far beyond its first size. The bench hears an echo of the prophetic image where a great tree sheltering birds pictures a kingdom's reach, so Jesus applies a familiar image of might to a seed nobody would have expected to grow that large. The contrast between the smallest seed and the greatest herb carries the whole saying.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
A commentator
Hippolytus of RomeHippolytus Refutation of All Heresies Book V · Written before 235.
proposed
The Phrygians, however, further assert that the father of the universe is "Amygdalus," not a tree, he says, but that he is "Amygdalus" who previously existed; and he having in himself the perfect fruit, as it were, throbbing and moving in the depth, rent his breasts, and produced his now invisible, and nameless, and ineffable child. respecting whom we shall speak. For the word "Amyxai" signifies, as it were, to burst and sever through, as he says (happens) in the case of inflamed bodies, and which have in themselves any tumour; and when doctors have cut this, they call it "Amychai." In this way, he says, the Phrygians call him "Amygdalus," from which proceeded and was born the Invisible (One), "by whom all things were made, and nothing was made without Him." And the Phrygians say that what has been thence produced is "Syrictas" (piper), because the Spirit that is born is harmonious. "For God," he says, "is Spirit; wherefore," he affirms, "neither in this mountain do the true worshippers worship, nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit. For the adoration of the perfect ones," he says, "is spiritual, not carnal." The Spirit, however, he says, is there where likewise the Father is named, and the Son is there born from this Father. This, he says, is the many-named, thousand-eyed Incomprehensible One, of whom every nature-each, however, differently-is desirous. This, he says, is the word of God, which, he says, is a word of revelation of the Great Power. Wherefore it will be sealed, and hid, and concealed, lying in the habitation where lies the basis of the root of the universe, viz. Aeons, Powers, Intelligences, Gods, Angels, delegated Spirits, Entities, Nonentities, Generables, Ingenerables, Incomprehensibles, Comprehensibles, Years, Months, Days, Hours, (and) Invisible Point from which what is least begins to increase gradually. […]
(non occ. leg. ap. Possin. Cyril.) And also because the wisdom spoken amongst the perfect expands, to an extent greater than all other sayings, that which was told to men in short discourses, for there is nothing greater than this truth.
The Medieval Church3 voices
The word of faith is small: because one need only believe in Christ, and you shall be saved. You see that this word is as small as a mustard seed.
Most brief indeed is the word of faith; Believe in God, and thou shalt be saved.
When it is sown in the ground, he says, it is smaller than all the seeds that are on the earth. But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all garden plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds …
6 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Or else, that seed is very small in fear, but great when it has grown into charity, which is greater than all herbs; for God is love, (1 John 4:16) whilst all flesh is grass. (Isa. 40:6 But the boughs which it puts forth are those of mercy and compassion, since under its shade the poor of Christ, who are meant by the living creatures of the heavens, delight to dwell.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
That the beginnings of the gospel kingdom would be very small, like that which is one of the least of all seeds. When a Christian church was sown in the earth for God, it was all contained in one room, and the number of the names was but one hundred and twenty ( Acts i.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
It is like a grain of mustard seed,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
The parable of the mustard seed is one of those parables which partake of the character both of history and prophecy. It seems intended to illustrate the history of Christ's visible church on earth, from the time of the first advent down to the judgment day. The seed cast into the earth, in the preceding parable, showed us the work of grace in a heart. The mustard seed shows us THE PROGRESS OF PROFESSING CHRISTIANITY IN THE WORLD.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
The parable of the mustard seed is one of those parables which partake of the character both of history and prophecy. It seems intended to illustrate the history of Christ's visible church on earth, from the time of the first advent down to the judgment day. The seed cast into the earth, in the preceding parable, showed us the work of grace in a heart. The mustard seed shows us THE PROGRESS OF PROFESSING CHRISTIANITY IN THE WORLD. We learn, in the first place, that, like the grain of mustard seed, Christ's visible church was to be small and weak in its beginnings . A grain of mustard seed was a proverbial expression among the Jews for something very small and insignificant. Our Lord calls it "smaller than all the seeds that are in the earth." Twice in the Gospels we find our Lord using the figure as a word of comparison, when speaking of a weak faith. (Matt. 17:20; Luke 17:6.) The idea was doubtless familiar to a Jewish mind, however strange it may sound to us. Here, as in other places, the Son of God shows us the wisdom of using language familiar to the minds of those whom we may address. It would be difficult to find an emblem which more faithfully represents the history of the visible church of Christ than this grain of mustard seed. Weakness and apparent insignificance were undoubtedly the characteristics of its beginning. How did its Head and King come into the world? He came as a feeble infant, born in a manger at Bethlehem, without riches, or armies, or attendants, or power. Who were the men that the Head of the Church gathered round Himself, and appointed His apostles? They were poor and unlearned people — fishermen, publicans, and men of like occupations, to all appearance the most unlikely people to shake the world. What was the last public act of the earthly ministry of the great Head of the Church?
A grain of mustard seed - See on Mat 13:31, Mat 13:32 (note).
The words behind it
18 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὡς | hos | As | G5613 → | 500 times |
| κόκκῳ | kokko | a grain | G2848 → | |
| σινάπεως | sinapeos | of mustard | G4615 → | |
| ὃς | hos | which | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ὅταν | hotan | when | G3752 → | 123 times |
| σπαρῇ | sparea | it may be sown | G4687 → | 52 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | upon | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς, | ges | earth, | G1093 → | 248 times |
| μικρότερον | mikroteron | smaller than | G3398 → | 46 times |
| ὂν | on | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| πάντων | panton | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| σπερμάτων | spermaton | seeds | G4690 → | 43 times |
| τῶν | ton | which [are] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | upon | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς. | ges | earth. | G1093 → | 248 times |
ὡςAs
hosG5613 →500 times
κόκκῳa grain
kokkoG2848 →
σινάπεωςof mustard
sinapeosG4615 →
ὃςwhich
hosG3739 →1405 times
ὅτανwhen
hotanG3752 →123 times
σπαρῇit may be sown
spareaG4687 →52 times
ἐπὶupon
epiG1909 →883 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆς,earth,
gesG1093 →248 times
μικρότερονsmaller than
mikroteronG3398 →46 times
ὂνis
onG1510 →2333 times
πάντωνall
pantonG3956 →1235 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
σπερμάτωνseeds
spermatonG4690 →43 times
τῶνwhich [are]
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἐπὶupon
epiG1909 →883 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆς.earth.
gesG1093 →248 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 19:20So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.
it leads to
- Acts 6:7
So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.
- Acts 12:24
But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.
- Isaiah 55:11
so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in honor, just as it was with you.
- Acts 6:7
Through
Malachi 1:11For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name…
it leads to
- Isaiah 45:6
so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
- Isaiah 54:5
For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
- Zechariah 8:7
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.
- Isaiah 66:19–20
I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who…
- Isaiah 45:6
Where this verse is studied
About Mark
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; Clement of Alexandria, Nicetas Bishop of Heraclea; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Refutation of All Heresies Book V; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.