The Mustard Seed and Leaven

The words

1. Birds

   Matthew and Luke put the birds in the grown plant’s branches; Mark describes them lodging under its shadow, completing the contrast between the small seed and a sheltering plant.

   Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:31–32 (opens a new tab)

2. Branches

   In Mark, great branches follow the seed’s growth beyond the other herbs; in Matthew and Luke, the branches are where birds come to lodge.

   Mark 4:32 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab)

3. Foundation

   The world’s beginning, in this phrase.

   Matthew’s account closes with a quoted saying about revealing things kept secret from the foundation of the world; the NET identifies its source as Psalm 78:2.

   Did you know?

   After its opening about parables, Psalm 78 speaks of what fathers have passed down and of telling the coming generation the Lord’s praise and works.

   Matthew 13:34–35 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 13:31-35 (opens a new tab) · Psalm 78:2–4 (opens a new tab)

4. Garden

   Luke places the mustard seed in a man’s garden; Matthew says he sowed it in his field, while Mark describes it being sown in the earth before its growth.

   Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 13:31 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:31–32 (opens a new tab)

5. Grain

   A single seed, here.

   Grain in Matthew and Luke means a single mustard seed that a man takes and sows; Matthew places it in a field, while Luke places it in a garden.

   Matthew 13:31 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 13:31-35 (opens a new tab)

6. Herbs

   Garden plants, in this comparison.

   Matthew compares the grown mustard plant with herbs; the NET calls it the greatest garden plant. Mark also uses herbs before describing the large branches and their shelter.

   Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 13:31-35 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:32 (opens a new tab)

7. Least

   In the parable, Matthew calls the seed least of all seeds and Mark uses less than all the seeds in the earth; the NET notes emphasize its tiny size.

   Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:31 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 13:31-35 (opens a new tab)

8. Leaven

   An agent that makes dough rise.

   Matthew and Luke compare the kingdom with leaven hidden in three measures of meal until all is leavened; the NET calls it yeast and describes all the dough rising.

   Matthew 13:33 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:21 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 13:18-21 (opens a new tab)

9. Lodge

   Find shelter or nest.

   Matthew and Luke use lodge for the birds in the branches; Mark puts them under the plant’s shadow, where the NET says they can nest in its shade.

   Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:32 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 4:30-34 (opens a new tab)

10. Meal

    Flour, in this passage.

    Meal is flour in Matthew and Luke’s leaven image; Genesis 18:6 also calls for fine meal to be kneaded and made into cakes. The NET uses flour for the parable’s ingredient.

    Matthew 13:33 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:21 (opens a new tab) · Genesis 18:6 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 13:18-21 (opens a new tab)

11. Mustard

    The named seed grows into the large plant that shelters birds in the comparison; Matthew and Luke call the result a tree, while Mark emphasizes herbs and great branches.

    Matthew 13:31–32 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:31–32 (opens a new tab)

12. Resemble

    Compare; liken.

    In Luke, Jesus asks what the kingdom of God resembles before describing the mustard seed; he asks a similar question before the leaven image. The NET uses compare for the question’s verb.

    Luke 13:18–21 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 13:18-21 (opens a new tab)

13. Three Measures

    Three dry measures of flour.

    Matthew and Luke give three measures of meal. The NET identifies the unit as a saton and estimates over 47 pounds (about 21 kg) of flour for all three.

    Matthew 13:33 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:21 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 13:18-21 (opens a new tab)

14. Tree

    Matthew and Luke call the grown mustard plant a tree and describe birds in its branches; Mark instead emphasizes growth beyond the herbs and great branches shading the birds.

    Matthew 13:32 (opens a new tab) · Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · Mark 4:32 (opens a new tab)

15. Waxed

    Grew; developed.

    Luke says the seed grew and waxed a great tree; the NET renders the sequence as grew and became a tree, clarifying waxed as a verb of growth or development.

    Luke 13:19 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 13:18-21 (opens a new tab)