What Does Mark 4:1 Mean in the King James?
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.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The crowd’s “gathering” is already an assembly: they are brought together toward him before the first parable is spoken.
THE MEANING
You are with the multitude at the water’s edge: he takes his place in the boat, while the people gather on land. The shoreline becomes a shared place of attention before any parable is heard.
THE ROOT
συνάγεται
synagetai
GROWS FROM
συνάγω (synagō), σύν (syn) + ἄγω (agō)
Bring together: σύν (syn) means “together,” and ἄγω (agō) means “lead” or “bring.”
“gathered” in this verse is synagetai. The crowd is not only many people in one place; the word for gathering carries the sense of being brought together. The related word συναγωγή (synagōgē, “assembly”) grows from the same root, so this scene is already an assembly centered on him.
ALSO GROWS
synagōgē: Assembly; gathering
συναγωγή
The same root names the assembly itself, opening up “gathered” as people brought together for a shared meeting.
episynagō: Gather together
ἐπισυνάγω
This related verb keeps the image of people being brought into one gathering; here, the multitude’s movement is toward him.
THE PATTERN
Teaching meets people where they gather, making a public place into a shared place of hearing.
And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.THE THREAD
And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.“Gathered” here and “gathered together” in Matthew come from the same Greek verb, συνάγω (synagō, “bring together”). Matthew makes the assembly’s shape visible: he sits in the boat, and the multitude stands together on shore.
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