καὶ ἔλεγε· πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν τίνι παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτὴν; (Mark 4:30)
Introduction to Teaching Discourse: καὶ ἔλεγε
– καὶ: Coordinating conjunction—”and,” linking to the preceding teaching activity.
– ἔλεγε: Imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular of λέγω, “he was saying.”
– The imperfect tense indicates ongoing or repeated speech during Jesus’ parabolic instruction.
– This phrase opens a reflective question within Jesus’ public teaching ministry.
First Hortatory Question: πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ
– πῶς: Interrogative adverb—”how.”
– ὁμοιώσωμεν: Aorist active subjunctive, 1st person plural of ὁμοιόω, “we liken,” “compare.”
– Hortatory subjunctive expressing deliberation: “How shall we compare…?”
– τὴν βασιλείαν: Accusative singular feminine noun—”the kingdom.”
– τοῦ Θεοῦ: Genitive singular masculine—”of God,” specifying ownership or source.
– Full phrase translation: “How shall we liken the kingdom of God?”
– Jesus invites His listeners into a reflective, participatory stance, asking for a comparison.
Alternative Comparison Framing: ἢ ἐν τίνι παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτὴν
– ἢ: Disjunctive conjunction—”or,” offering an alternative form of expression.
– ἐν τίνι: Prepositional phrase with ἐν + dative interrogative pronoun—”in what,” “with what.”
– παραβολῇ: Dative singular feminine noun—”parable.”
– παραβάλωμεν: Aorist active subjunctive, 1st person plural of παραβάλλω, “we set beside,” “compare,” “illustrate.”
– Subjunctive used again for deliberative effect.
– αὐτὴν: Accusative singular feminine pronoun—”it,” referring to the kingdom.
– Full phrase translation: “or in what parable shall we set it forth?”
Deliberative Subjunctives and the Invitation to Spiritual Imagination
Mark 4:30 captures a profound moment where Jesus deliberately opens space for parabolic teaching by posing a double rhetorical question. Both ὁμοιώσωμεν and παραβάλωμεν are aorist subjunctives, 1st person plural, forming hortatory deliberations. Jesus, speaking to the crowd, invites collective reflection: how can the ineffable reign of God be likened or illustrated?
The use of πῶς (“how”) and ἐν τίνι (“in what”) indicates not uncertainty on Jesus’ part, but a teaching technique—drawing listeners into imaginative engagement. The double clause structure (joined with ἢ) shows that different rhetorical strategies (comparison or parable) are possible ways to approach the mystery of the kingdom.
Theologically, this verse stresses that the kingdom cannot be directly defined but must be approximated through analogy and story. The syntax, with its careful subjunctives and interrogative structure, mirrors the humility required to approach divine realities: understanding comes not by mastery but by reflection and faith.
