Mark 4:4

4 And it happened that while [he] was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Mark 4:4 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 4:4

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.

Mark 4:4 In-Context

2 And he began to teach them many [things] in parables, and was saying to them in his teaching,

3 "Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow.

4 And it happened that while [he] was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 And other [seed] fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once, because it did not have [any] depth of soil.

6 And when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have [enough] root, it withered.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "[some of] which"