by the way of vs by way of the

Some examples from the web:

• 2 It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
• He might have carried him round by the way of the Cape of Good Hope.
• 37 Gaal spoke again and said, "Behold, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company comes by the way of the diviners' oak."
• 23 "But come what may," he said, "I will run."He said to him, "Run!" Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
• 11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.
• 8 When the prince enters, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go out by its way.
• Walk by the path of the shield of faith! To him who has found Our Image in his heart, We shall say, Walk by the way of the heart and the Chalice will affirm the path!
• (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

Some examples from the web:

• We must be ever more deeply convinced that the future of humanity comes by way of the family.
• Oxford, Mississippi, by way of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
• Many of us were assisted by way of the Male Extra medicine.
• They're inserted into the sockets from inside... by way of the hollow neck, before the head is attached to the body.
• Parliament is being kept fully informed by way of the recent Comprehensive Monitoring Reports, which contained a chapter on the telecommunications sector.
• The objectives of the Directive on mobility particularly by way of the provisions for transfer of pension rights cross border may be difficult to reach if tax treatment is not dealt with at the same time.
• Bronchoscopy involves the use of a thin tube with a tiny camera attached to it, inserted into the airways by way of the mouth.
• Our objective is best, and most safely, reached by way of the model of the environmentally responsible market economy.