σίναπι

From the study of Matthew 17:20

Range of meaning

'A grain of mustard': the seed of black mustard (Brassica nigra), about 1 mm across. In Jewish speech it was the standard measure of the smallest perceptible amount.

Against the English

BSB 'the size of a mustard seed' and NIV 'as small as' make the size point explicit. KJV 'as a grain of mustard seed' keeps the Greek's open comparison. All capture the main point.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mishnah Niddah 5:2 and Tohorot 8:8 use 'like a mustard seed' for the smallest amount that still counts. In the Talmud a drop of blood 'like a mustard seed' is enough to matter (b. Berakhot 31a). In Matthew 13:31–32 the mustard seed is 'the smallest of all seeds' that grows into a large plant. Luke 17:6 uses mustard-seed faith for uprooting a mulberry tree.

From the study of Luke 13:19

Range of meaning

The mustard plant and its seed. In first-century Palestine it most likely means black mustard (Brassica nigra), grown for its pungent seed (seasoning and medicine) and also found growing wild. It is an annual herb: it springs up each year from seed and can reach 1.5–3 metres in a good season by the Sea of Galilee, with a stiff, somewhat woody stem by late summer. 'A grain of mustard' was a proverbial expression for the smallest thing a person could see.

Against the English

English 'mustard' usually suggests the yellow condiment. The point is the seed's tininess and the plant's vigorous, rapid growth. KJV 'a grain of mustard seed' uses 'grain' in its older sense of a single kernel, not a cereal crop.

Used elsewhere in the period

Smallness was proverbial: the Mishnah uses 'like a mustard seed' for the smallest quantity (m. Niddah 5:2), and Jesus uses it for minimal faith (Luke 17:6; Matt 17:20). Pliny the Elder (Natural History 19.170–171) notes that mustard grows easily and that once sown, a plot can hardly be freed of it, because fallen seed sprouts at once. Theophrastus groups mustard among garden herbs, not trees. The parable also appears in Mark 4:30–32, Matt 13:31–32 and Gospel of Thomas 20.

From the study of Mark 4:31

Range of meaning

The mustard plant and its seed. Attic Greek has the older form νᾶπυ (napy). In Palestine the plant meant is almost certainly black mustard (Brassica nigra). It is an annual: it grows from seed to a tall, woody-stemmed bush in one season, often 1.5–3 m and sometimes more near the Sea of Galilee. People grew it for its seeds, used as a condiment and medicine, and it also spread wild.

Against the English

English 'mustard' calls up a yellow condiment or a small herb. The Galilean plant was a towering annual that could look like a small tree by the end of summer, which is why v.32 can say it puts out 'great branches'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Theophrastus (Enquiry into Plants 7.1) lists mustard among cultivated garden plants. Pliny the Elder (Natural History 19.170–171) praises its health benefits but warns that once sown it is hard to get rid of, because fallen seed sprouts at once. Rabbinic literature uses 'like a mustard seed' (ke-ḥardal) as a stock phrase for the smallest perceptible amount. Example: b. Berakhot 31a, of a drop of blood 'the size of a mustard seed'; commentators often also cite m. Niddah 5:2 and m. Tohorot 8:8. The Mishnah's rules on mixing crops (tractate Kil'ayim) regulate where mustard may be sown, which shows it was a deliberately cultivated crop. Jesus uses the same proverb elsewhere: 'faith like a mustard seed' (Matt 17:20; Luke 17:6). The word does not occur in the Septuagint.