Mark 4:5

Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks the Parable of the Sower to a crowd and his disciples, describing the second group of seed landing on rocky ground.

The words — πετρῶδες (petrōdes) literally means "rocky place," and ἔπεσεν (epesen) means "fell," identifying the terrain and the action of the seed.

The thread — This account parallels Luke 8:6, which records the same sowing event, and anticipates Ezekiel 36:26 and Ezekiel 11:19, where God promises to remove a heart of stone and give a new spirit.

Why it lands — The text states that shallow soil allows quick sprouting but cannot sustain the plant, requiring the reader to assess whether their initial response to the message can endure prolonged exposure.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

Cross-references

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Luke 8:6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
Amos 6:12 “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
Luke 8:13 The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.
Matthew 13:5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
Matthew 13:20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
Mark 4:16 Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.