5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And some fell on stony ground,.... The word was preached to some persons who had hearts of stone, and which remained so:
where it had not much earth; and so could be received only in a notional and superficial way, but could take no place, so as to produce any good effect:
and immediately it sprung up; a sudden and hasty profession of the word was made, without a powerful experience of it:
because it had no depth of earth; if it had, it would have been longer in coming up; more work would have been done by it, which would have required more time, before a profession of it had been made.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth--"the rocky ground"; in Matthew (Matthew 13:5), "the rocky places"; in Luke (Luke 8:6), "the rock." The thing intended is, not ground with stones in it which would not prevent the roots striking downward, but ground where a quite thin surface of earth covers a rock. What means this? See on Mark 4:16.
Third Case: THE THORNY GROUND. (Mark 4:7, Mark 4:18-19).
*More commentary available at chapter level.