Mustard
Jump to: Smith'sATSISBEEaston'sWebster'sConcordanceThesaurusGreekLibrarySubtopicsTermsResources
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Mustard

is mentioned in (Matthew 13:31; 17:20; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19; 17:6) It is generally agreed that the mustard tree of Scripture is the black mustard (Sinapis nigru). The objection commonly made against any sinapis being the plant of the parable is that the reed grew into "a tree," in which the fowls of the air are said to come and lodge. As to this objection, it is urged with great truth that the expression is figurative and Oriental, and that in a proverbial simile no literal accuracy is to be expected. It is an error, for which the language of Scripture is not accountable, to assert that the passage implies that birds "built their nests" in the tree: the Greek word has no such meaning; the word merely means "to settle or rest upon" anything for a longer or shorter time; nor is there any occasion to suppose that the expression "fowls of the air" denotes any other than the smaller insessorial kinds--linnets, finches, etc. Hiller's explanation is probably the correct one,--that the birds came and settled on the mustard-plant for the sake of the seed, of which they are very fond. Dr. Thomson also says he has seen the wild mustard on the rich plain of Akkar as tall as the horse and the rider. If, then, the wild plant on the rich plain of Akkar grows as high as a man on horseback, it might attain to the same or a greater height when in a cultivated garden. The expression "which is indeed-the least of all seeds" is in all probability hyperbolical, to denote a very small seed indeed, as there are many seeds which are smaller than mustard. The Lord in his popular teaching," says Trench ("Notes on Parables", 108), "adhered to the popular language;" and the mustard-seed was used proverbially to denote anything very minute; or may mean that it was the smallest of all garden seeds, which it is in truth.

ATS Bible Dictionary
Mustard

A species of this annual shrub is found in Palestine, growing to the height of seven to nine feet, and with a stem one inch thick. Prof. Hacket, while examining a field of these plants, saw a bird of the air come and lodge in the branches before him, Matthew 13:31,32; Mark 4:31,32. Others suppose a tree is meant, called Salvadora Persica. It is found in Palestine, and bears berries containing small, mustard- like seeds. "A grain of mustard" was used proverbially to denote any thing extremely small, Matthew 17:20.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
A plant of the genus sinapis, a pod-bearing, shrub-like plant, growing wild, and also cultivated in gardens. The little round seeds were an emblem of any small insignificant object. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament; and in each of the three instances of its occurrence in the New Testament (Matthew 13:31, 32; Mark 4:31, 32; Luke 13:18, 19) it is spoken of only with reference to the smallness of its seed. The common mustard of Palestine is the Sinapis nigra. This garden herb sometimes grows to a considerable height, so as to be spoken of as "a tree" as compared with garden herbs.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) The name of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica (formerly Sinapis), as white mustard (B. alba), black mustard (B. Nigra), wild mustard or charlock (B. Sinapistrum).

2. (n.) A powder or a paste made from the seeds of black or white mustard, used as a condiment and a rubefacient. Taken internally it is stimulant and diuretic, and in large doses is emetic.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
MUSTARD

mus'-tard (sinapi (Matthew 13:31 Mark 4:31 Luke 13:19 Matthew 17:20 Luke 17:6)): The minuteness of the seed is referred to in all these passages, while in the first three the large size of the herb growing from it is mentioned. In Matthew 13:32 it is described as "greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree" (compare Luke 13:19); in Mark 4:32 it "becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches." Several varieties of mustard (Arabic, khardal) have notably small seed, and under favorable conditions grow in a few months into very tall herbs-10 to 12 ft. The rapid growth of an annual herb to such a height must always be a striking fact. Sinapis nigra, the black mustard, which is cultivated, Sinapis alba, or white mustard, and Sinapis arvensis, or the charlock (all of Natural Order Cruciferae), would, any one of them, suit the requirements of the parable; birds readily alight upon their branches to eat the seed (Matthew 13:32, etc.), not, be it noted, to build their nests, which is nowhere implied.

Among the rabbis a "grain of mustard" was a common expression for anything very minute, which explains our Lord's phrase, "faith as a grain of mustard seed" (Matthew 17:20 Luke 17:6).

The suggestion that the New Testament references may allude to a tall shrub Salvadora persica, which grows on the southern shores of the Dead Sea, rests solely upon the fact that this plant is sometimes called khardal by the Arabs, but it has no serious claim to be the sinapi of the Bible.

E. W. G. Masterman

Greek
4615. sinapi -- mustard (a plant)
... mustard (a plant). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: sinapi Phonetic
Spelling: (sin'-ap-ee) Short Definition: mustard Definition: mustard (probably ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4615.htm - 6k
Library

The Mustard-Seed.
... III. THE MUSTARD-SEED. "Another ... 32. We are familiar with the mustard-plant
both in a wild and in a cultivated state in our own country. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iii the mustard-seed.htm

The Mustard-Seed, and the Leaven.
... THE MUSTARD-SEED, AND THE LEAVEN. In the first two parables the kingdom
of heaven is represented in conflict with its enemies; in ...
/.../arnot/the parables of our lord/the mustard-seed and the leaven.htm

The Mustard Seed: a Sermon for the Sabbath-School Teacher
... The Mustard Seed: A Sermon for the Sabbath-School Teacher. A Sermon ... The parable is
itself like a grain of mustard seed, but its meanings are as a great tree. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/the mustard seed a sermon.htm

The Mustard Seed
... Strong Meat for Hungry Souls: The Gospel of St. Mark CHAPTER 4:30-34 THE MUSTARD
SEED. "And He said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 4 30-34 the mustard seed.htm

Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven. (Luke, xiii. 18-21 ...
... Section 211. Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven. ... These forms of its
operation he illustrated by the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. ...
/.../section 211 parables of the.htm

Parables of the Mustard-Seed, and of the Leaven Transition to the ...
... Chapter XXX."Parables of the Mustard-Seed, and of the Leaven Transition to the Solemn
Exclusion Which Will Ensue When the Master of the House Has Shut the ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxx parables of the mustard-seed.htm

The Mustard Seed.
... THE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM THE MUSTARD SEED. And he said, "How shall we liken
the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the mustard seed.htm

Sabbath Healing. Mustard Seed and Leaven.
... Bethany. (Time: One Year Less One Week.) LXXXVII. Sabbath Healing. Mustard
Seed and Leaven. (Probably Per??a.) ^C Luke 13:10-21. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxxxvii sabbath healing mustard seed.htm

Fragment xxxi. Observe That, by Means of the Grain of Mustard Seed ...
... Fragment XXXI. Observe that, by means of the grain of mustard seed in
the parable? Observe [4848] that, by means of the grain ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment xxxi observe that by.htm

I Will Take one Case that Will Serve Both as Symbol and Example...
... green." There is no blue much bluer than Reckitt's Blue and no blacking blacker
than Day and Martin's; no more emphatic yellow than that of Colman's Mustard. ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 35 i will take.htm

Thesaurus
Mustard (5 Occurrences)
... reference to the smallness of its seed. The common mustard of Palestine
is the Sinapis nigra. This garden herb sometimes grows to ...
/m/mustard.htm - 11k

Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences)
Mustard-seed. Mustard, Mustard-seed. Muster . Multi-Version
Concordance Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences). Matthew 13:31 ...
/m/mustard-seed.htm - 8k

Grain (413 Occurrences)
... Used, in Amos 9:9, of a small stone or kernel; in Matthew 13:31, of an individual
seed of mustard; in John 12:24, 1 Corinthians 15:37, of wheat. ...
/g/grain.htm - 39k

Planted (105 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:31 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field ...
/p/planted.htm - 37k

Seed (337 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:31 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field ...
/s/seed.htm - 41k

Plant (92 Occurrences)
... Mark 4:31 It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth,
though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, (See NIV). ...
/p/plant.htm - 37k

Sowed (20 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:31 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field ...
/s/sowed.htm - 12k

Soil (59 Occurrences)
... Mark 4:31 It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth,
though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, (See NAS). ...
/s/soil.htm - 23k

Muster (9 Occurrences)

/m/muster.htm - 10k

Ground (538 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:31 Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens,"
He said, "is like a mustard-seed, which a man takes and sows in his ground. ...
/g/ground.htm - 43k

Resources
What does it mean to have mustard seed faith? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Mustard Seed? | GotQuestions.org

Can faith really move mountains? | GotQuestions.org

Mustard: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Mustard (5 Occurrences)

Matthew 13:31
He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 17:20
He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain,'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:31
It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 13:19
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 17:6
The Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree,'Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Mustard

Mustard: General Scriptures Concerning

Related Terms

Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences)

Grain (413 Occurrences)

Planted (105 Occurrences)

Seed (337 Occurrences)

Plant (92 Occurrences)

Sowed (20 Occurrences)

Soil (59 Occurrences)

Muster (9 Occurrences)

Ground (538 Occurrences)

Food (2953 Occurrences)

Parable (52 Occurrences)

Birds (125 Occurrences)

Yonder (15 Occurrences)

Nests (9 Occurrences)

Nested (3 Occurrences)

Nettle (2 Occurrences)

Unbelief (16 Occurrences)

Uprooted (29 Occurrences)

Obeyed (83 Occurrences)

Littleness (1 Occurrence)

Less (93 Occurrences)

Lodged (35 Occurrences)

Grows (46 Occurrences)

Grew (133 Occurrences)

Waxed (57 Occurrences)

Whenever (123 Occurrences)

It's (28 Occurrences)

Increased (165 Occurrences)

Impossible (31 Occurrences)

Itself (203 Occurrences)

Flour (69 Occurrences)

Fowls (61 Occurrences)

Takes (380 Occurrences)

Though (623 Occurrences)

Transport (18 Occurrences)

Tear (97 Occurrences)

Thereof (845 Occurrences)

Transported (2 Occurrences)

Rooted (15 Occurrences)

Roots (31 Occurrences)

Resting-places (27 Occurrences)

Remove (173 Occurrences)

Roost (4 Occurrences)

Drops (27 Occurrences)

Declare (346 Occurrences)

Millennium

Millet (1 Occurrence)

Mulberry (6 Occurrences)

Mustache (3 Occurrences)

Moved (316 Occurrences)

Move (113 Occurrences)

Perched (1 Occurrence)

Presented (114 Occurrences)

Proposed (9 Occurrences)

Plucked (46 Occurrences)

Black-mulberry-tree (1 Occurrence)

Branches (103 Occurrences)

Becomes (138 Occurrences)

Bite (13 Occurrences)

Smaller (16 Occurrences)

Sow (61 Occurrences)

Sown (45 Occurrences)

Smallest (16 Occurrences)

Sycamine-tree (1 Occurrence)

Sycamine (1 Occurrence)

Size (39 Occurrences)

Solemnly (62 Occurrences)

Simile (61 Occurrences)

Sycamore (9 Occurrences)

Story (92 Occurrences)

Seeds (24 Occurrences)

Sows (18 Occurrences)

Instantly (39 Occurrences)

Truly (468 Occurrences)

Threw (133 Occurrences)

Nothing (769 Occurrences)

Verily (146 Occurrences)

Says (1491 Occurrences)

Mustache
Top of Page
Top of Page