Mark - 4:25



25 For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Mark 4:25.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
For whosoever has, to him shall be given; and he who has not, even what he has shall be taken from him.
for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'
For he that has, to him shall be given: and he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has.
For those who have will have more given them; and from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away."
For whoever has, more will be given, and he who does not have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.'
For whoever has, to him it shall be given. And whoever has not, from him even what he has shall be taken away."
For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

For he that hath - See the notes at Matthew 13:12. The meaning here seems to be, he that diligently attends to my words shall increase more and more in the knowledge of the truth; but he that neglects them and is inattentive shall become more ignorant; the few things which he had learned he will forget, and his trifling knowledge will be diminished.
Hath not - Does not improve what he possessed, or does not make proper use of his means of learning.
That which he hath - That which he had already learned. By this we are taught the indispensable necessity of giving attention to the means of instruction. The attention must be "continued." It is not sufficient that we have learned some things, or appear to have learned much. All will be in vain unless we go forward, and improve every opportunity of learning the will of God and the way of salvation. So what children are taught will be of little use unless they follow it up and endeavor to improve themselves.

He that hath - See on Matthew 13:12 (note).

For he that hath, to him shall be given,.... He that has Gospel light and knowledge, and makes a proper use of it, he shall have more; his path shall be as the path of the just, which shines more and more to the perfect day; the means of grace and knowledge shall be blessed, to him, he attending constantly thereon, that he shall arrive to such a knowledge of the Son of God as to be a perfect man in comparison of others, who are in a lower class; and shall come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, shall grow up to maturity, and be a man in understanding: and he that has the truth of grace, though its beginning is but small, yet that making and keeping him humble, as it always does, he shall have more grace, or that he has shall open and enlarge in its actings and exercises; his faith shall grow exceedingly, he shall abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost; and his love to God, and Christ, and to the saints, shall be greater and greater; and he shall increase in humility, patience, self-denial, &c. and so he that has gifts for public usefulness, and does not neglect them, but stirs them up for the profit of others, he shall have an increase of them; he shall shine as a star in Christ's right hand, and appear brighter and brighter in the firmament of the church:
and he that hath not, from him shall be taken, even that which he hath; or seemed to have, or thought he had, Luke 8:18, a saying often used by Christ, both with respect to the ignorant Jews, and professing Christians, and even, as here, to the disciples themselves, respect perhaps being had to Judas. He that has only a speculative notion of the Gospel, and is without any experience and practice of it, in course of time his candle is put out; his light becomes darkness; he drops and denies the truths he held, and relinquishes the profession of them: and he that has only counterfeit grace, a feigned faith, a false hope, and a dissembled love, in due time these will be discovered, and the name of them, and the character he bore, on account of them, will be taken from him: for true grace is never taken away, nor lost; it is a solid, permanent thing, and is inseparable to everlasting glory and happiness: but bare notions of the Gospel, and a mere show of grace, are unstable and transient things; as also are the greatest gifts without the grace of God. Judas had doubtless all the appearance of a true Christian; he had the Gospel committed to him, and the knowledge of it, and gifts qualifying him to preach it, and a commission from Christ for it, yea, even a power of working miracles to confirm what he preached; and yet not having true grace, all was taken away from him, and were of no use unto him in the business of salvation: and so sometimes it is, that even in this life the idle and worthless shepherd has his right arm clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened; his ministerial light and abilities are taken away from him; these being either not used at all by him, or used to bad purposes; see Matthew 12:12.

For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath--or "seemeth to have," or "thinketh he hath." (See on Matthew 13:12). This "having" and "thinking he hath" are not different; for when it hangs loosely upon him, and is not appropriated to its proper ends and uses, it both is and is not his.
Parable of the Seed Growing We Know not How (Mark 4:26-29).
This beautiful parable is peculiar to Mark. Its design is to teach the Imperceptible Growth of the word sown in the heart, from its earliest stage of development to the ripest fruits of practical righteousness.

He that hath - That improves whatever he has received, to the good of others, as well as of his own soul. Matthew 13:12; Luke 8:18.

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