SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:26
Decía adems: Así es el Reino de Dios, como si un hombre echa simiente en la tierra;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Mark 4:26
Verse 26. So is the kingdom of God] This parable is mentioned only by Mark, a proof that Mark did not abridge Matthew. Whitby supposes it to refer to the good ground spoken of before, and paraphrases is thus:-"What I have said of the seed sown upon good ground, may be illustrated by this parable. The doctrine of the kingdom, received in a good and honest heart, is like seed sown by a man in his ground, properly prepared to receive it; for when he hath sown it, he sleeps and wakes day after day, and, looking on it, he sees it spring and grow up through the virtue of the earth in which it is sown, though he knows not how it doth so; and when he finds it ripe, he reaps it, and so receives the benefit of the sown seed. So is it here: the seed sown in the good and honest heart brings forth fruit with patience; and this fruit daily increaseth, though we know not how the Word and Spirit work that increase; and then Christ the husbandman, at the time of the harvest, gathers in this good seed into the kingdom of heaven." I see no necessity of inquiring how Christ may be said to sleep and rise night and day; Christ being like to this husbandman only in sowing and reaping the seed.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. And he said , etc..] He went on saying the following parable, which was delivered at the same time that the parable of the sower was, though omitted by Matthew; and is here placed between that, and the other concerning the grain of mustard seed; which shows the time when it was spoken. The design of it is to set forth the nature of the word, and the ministration of it; the conduct of the ministers of the Gospel, when they have dispensed it; the imperceptibleness of its springing and growth; the fruitfulness of it, when it has taken root, without the help of man; the gradual increase of grace under the instrumentality of the word; and the gathering of gracious souls, when grace is brought to maturity: so is the kingdom of God ; such is the nature of the Gospel dispensation; and such are the things that are done in it, as may fitly be represented by the following; as if a man should cast seed into the ground : by the man, is not meant Christ, for he sleeps not; and besides, he knows how the seed springs and grows; but any Gospel minister, who is sent forth by Christ, bearing precious seed: and by seed is intended, not gracious persons, the children of the kingdom, as in the parable of the tares; nor the grace of God in them, though that is an incorruptible and an abiding seed; but the word of God, or Gospel of Christ, so called for its smallness, the diminutive character it bears, and contempt it is had in by some; and for its choiceness and excellency in itself, and in the account of others; and for its generative virtue under a divine influence: for the Gospel is like the manna, which was a small round thing, as a coriander seed; and as that was contemptible in the eyes of the Israelites, so the preaching of the Gospel is, to them that perish, foolishness; and yet it is choice and precious seed in itself, and to those who know the value of it, by whom it is preferred to thousands of gold and silver; and, as worthless and unpromising as it may seem to be, it has a divine virtue put into it; and, under the influence of powerful and efficacious grace, it is the means of regenerating souls, and produces fruit in them, which will remain unto everlasting life: though, as the seed is of no use this way, unless it is sown in the earth, and covered there; so is the Gospel of no use for regeneration, unless it is by the power of God let into the heart, and received there, where, through that power, it works effectually. By casting it into the earth, the preaching of the word is designed; which, like casting seed into the earth, is done with the same sort of seed only, and not with different sorts, with plenty of it, and at the proper time, whatever discouragements there may be, and with great skill and judgment, committing it to God to raise it up again: for the faithful dispensers of the word do not spread divers and strange doctrines; their ministry is all of apiece; they always sow the same like precious seed, without any mixture of the tares of error and heresy; and they do not deal it out in a narrow and niggardly way; they do not restrain and conceal any part of truth, but plentifully distribute it, and declare the whole counsel of God; and though there may be many discouragements attend them, many temptations arise to put off from sowing the word; the weather bad, storms and tempests arise, reproaches and persecutions come thick and fast, still they go on; using all that heavenly skill, prudence, and discretion God has given them, preaching the word in season, and out of season; and when they have done, they leave their work with the Lord, knowing that Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but it is God only that gives the increase: and by the ground, into which it is cast, As meant the hearers of the word, who are of different sorts; some like the way side, others like the stony ground, and others like the thorny earth, and some like good ground, as here; whose hearts are broke up by the Spirit of God, the stoniness of them taken away, and they made susceptive of the good word.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-34 - These declarations were intended to call the attention of the disciple to the word of Christ. By his thus instructing them, they were mad able to instruct others; as candles are lighted, not to be covered, but to be placed on a candlestick, that they may give light to a room. Thi parable of the good seed, shows the manner in which the kingdom of God makes progress in the world. Let but the word of Christ have the plac it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself in a goo conversation. It grows gradually: first the blade; then the ear; afte that the full corn in the ear. When it is sprung up, it will go forward. The work of grace in the soul is, at first, but the day of small things; yet it has mighty products even now, while it is in it growth; but what will there be when it is perfected in heaven!
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ελεγεν 3004 5707 V-IAI-3S ουτως 3779 ADV εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S η 3588 T-NSF βασιλεια 932 N-NSF του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM ως 5613 ADV εαν 1437 COND ανθρωπος 444 N-NSM βαλη 906 5632 V-2AAS-3S τον 3588 T-ASM σπορον 4703 N-ASM επι 1909 PREP της 3588 T-GSF γης 1093 N-GSF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
26. Should cast (balh). Lit., should have cast, the aorist tense, followed by the presents sleep and rise (kaqeudh and egeirhtai). The whole, literally, "As if a man should have cast seed into the ground, and should be sleeping and rising night and day." The aorist tense indicates the single act of casting; the presents the repeated, continued sleeping and rising while the seed is growing.Seed (ton sporon). The seed; that particular seed which he had to sow. Such is the force of the article.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:26 {As if a man should cast} (hws anqrwpos balei). Note hws with the aorist subjunctive without an. It is a supposable case and so the subjunctive and the aorist tense because a single instance. Blass considers this idiom "quite impossible," but it is the true text here and makes good sense (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 968). The more common idiom would have been hws ean (or an).
