Tag Archives: Mark 4:4

καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ σπείρειν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθον τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό

This verse belongs to Mark’s version of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:4), not Luke’s. The Greek delivers quick snapshots of action—sowing, falling, being devoured—with a narrative flow that moves as rapidly as the events it describes. Every verb is chosen to convey swiftness and loss, setting the tone for Jesus’ later explanation of hardened hearts.

Grammatical Foundations

Mark opens the sentence with καὶ ἐγένετο—“and it happened”—a narrative marker that introduces parabolic action. The phrase ἐν τῷ σπείρειν is a temporal clause using the articular infinitive with ἐν: “while he was sowing.”… Learn Koine Greek