Matthew 13:4

“And when he sowed, etc.] Or, “as he sowed”, as the other evangelists; that is, “whilst he was sowing”, some seeds fell; either out of his hand, or out of the cart drawn by oxen; hence the f776 Talmudists distinguish between dy tlwpm, “the falling of the hand”, or what falls out of the hand; and µyrwwç tlwpm, “the falling of the oxen”, or what falls from them; where the gloss is, “in some places they sow the grain with the hand; and in other places they put the seed on a cart full of holes, and oxen draw the cart on the ploughed land, and it falls upon it.” By the wayside; by the common road, or private paths, which led through corn fields, in which Christ and his disciples walked,…”

“In parables - The word “parable” is derived from a Greek word signifying “to compare together,” and denotes a similitude taken from a natural object to illustrate a spiritual or moral subject. It is a narrative of some fictitious or real event, in order to illustrate more clearly some truth that the speaker wished to communicate. In early ages it was much used. Pagan writers, as Aesop, often employed it. In the time of Christ it was in common use. The prophets had used it, and Christ employed it often in teaching his disciples. It is not necessary to suppose that the narratives were strictly true. The main thing - “the inculcation of spiritual truth” - was gained equally, whether it was true…”

“And while he sowed, some seeds fell by the highway side, and the birds came and devoured them - It is observable, that our Lord points out the grand hinderances of our bearing fruit, in the same order as they occur. The first danger is, that the birds will devour the seed. If it escape this, there is then another danger, namely, lest it be scorched, and wither away. It is long after this that the thorns spring up and choke the good seed. A vast majority of those who hear the word of God, receive the seed as by the highway side. Of those who do not lose it by the birds, yet many receive it as on stony places. Many of them who receive it in a better soil, yet suffer the thorns to grow up, and…”

“the way: Mat 13:18, Mat 13:19 Matthew 13:5”