Mark 4:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

MARK CHAPTER 4 Mark 4:1-9 The parable of the sower. Mark 4:10-13 Why Christ taught in parables. Mark 4:14-20 The exposition of the parable. Mark 4:21-25 The light of knowledge is given to be communicated to others. Mark 4:26-29 The kingdom of God likened to the seed which groweth imperceptibly, Mark 4:30-34 and to a grain of mustard seed. Mark 4:35-41 Christ stilleth a tempest by his word. Ver. 1,2. We may observe that our Saviour often preached by the seaside, the reason of which was, doubtless, he had there the convenience by a boat or ship to quit himself of the inconvenience of the people's pressing upon him: he was now in Galilee, which bordered upon the sea. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine. Some of those things which our Lord taught his people by earthly similitudes are afterwards expressed, but probably he taught them many more things than the evangelists have left us upon record. And said unto them in his doctrine: that may be understood in a double sense; either understanding by doctrine his way of teaching which he affected, and made much use of, viz. by similitudes; or else thus, that he intermixed with the doctrine which he taught them several parables, some of which here follow.

Mark 4:1

1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.