And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

and it came to pass, as he sowed, some'seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.

And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.

And it came to pass as he sowed, one fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.

and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.

And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it.

and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;

As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.

And while he was doing it, some was dropped by the wayside, and the birds came and took it for food.

And while he was sowing, some fell along the way, and the birds of the air came and ate it.

and presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up.

The fowls - Του ουρανου, of the air, is the common reading; but it should be omitted, on the authority of nine uncial MSS., upwards of one hundred others, and almost all the versions. Bengel and Griesbach have left it out of the text. It seems to have been inserted in Mark, from Luke 8:5.

And it came to pass, as he sowed,.... Whilst he was preaching the, Gospel, casting about the precious seed of the word, he was laden with:
some fell by the way side; the common beaten path: the word was dispensed among some men comparable to it, on whom it lighted, but made no impression; there it lay, though not long, and was not inwardly received, and took no root, and consequently was of no effect:
and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up; the devils, who have their abode in the air, especially the prince of the posse of them; and the Syriac version reads it in the singular number, "and the fowl came"; that ravenous bird of prey, Satan, who goes about seeking what he may devour; and for this purpose attends where the word is preached, to hinder its usefulness as much as in him lies.

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside--by the side of the hard path through the field, where the soil was not broken up.
and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up--Not only could the seed not get beneath the surface, but "it was trodden down" (Luke 8:5), and afterwards picked up and devoured by the fowls. What means this? See on Mark 4:15.
Second Case: THE STONY or rather, ROCKY GROUND. (Mark 4:5, Mark 4:16).