Mark 4:3 Meaning and Explanation
“Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus opens the parable of the sower with a double call to attention: listen, and behold, a sower went out to sow.
What Does Mark 4:3 Mean?
The first word is a command: Hearken. Jesus summons the crowd to true listening before the story begins, because hearing is what the whole parable is about. Then comes a scene every villager knew, a farmer striding into his field, scattering seed in broad sweeps over every kind of ground.
The sower goes out. The word of God is not buried treasure waiting to be dug up; it goes forth, generous and unguarded, thrown even where the ground looks unpromising. So Christ Himself came forth to sow, and so His word still goes out today. Before a single soil is named, the parable establishes the central wonder: God sows extravagantly, and He begins by asking only that we listen.
Mark 4:3 in the Original Language
speiro (σπείρω), 'to sow' -- to scatter seed broadcast across a field.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 4:3
What does Mark 4:3 mean?
Jesus opens the parable of the sower with a double call to attention: listen, and behold, a sower went out to sow.