unfoldingWord_en_tn/mrk/04/26.md

# Connecting Statement:

Jesus then tells the people parables to explain the kingdom of God, which he later explained to his disciples. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parables]])

# like a man who sows his seed

Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a farmer who sows his seed. AT: "like a farmer who sows his seed" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# He sleeps at night and gets up by day

"He rises in the morning and sleeps at night"

# the blade

the stalk or sprout

# the ear

the head on the stalk or the part of the plant that holds the fruit

# he immediately sends out the sickle

Here "the sickle" is a metonym that stands for the farmer or the people who the farmer sends out to harvest the grain. AT: "he immediately goes out with a sickle to harvest the grain" or "he immediately sends out people with sickles to harvest the grain" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# sickle

a curved blade or a sharp hook used to cut grain

# because the harvest has come

Here the phrase "has come" is an idiom for the grain being ripe for harvest. AT: "because the grain is ready to be harvested" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])