Real Bible Translation - Matthew 13:5

And other ones fell upon the Rocky Places where they were not holding much earth, and immediately caused to spring up because of the Not Holding Height of Earth.^28c

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And others fell upon rocky places where it had not much earth, and quickly it sprang forth, for it had no depth of earth.

LITV Translation:
And other fell on the stony places where they did not have much earth, and it immediately sprang up because it had no deepness of earth.

ESV Translation:
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Footnotes

28c

Middell-Liddell highlights that βάθος, while primarily signifying “depth” (i.e., a vertical measurement downward), can also denote height or vertical extension upward. This dual meaning corresponds to a dimension measured “up or down.”

In Greek literature, βάθος is used in contexts such as:
- Ταρτάρου βάθη (Aeschylus), meaning “the depths of Tartarus” — clearly downward depth.
- αἰθέρος βάθος (Euripides), where it means “the height of the sky” — upward measurement.
- In military terminology, βάθος designates the depth of a battle line (Thucydides, Xenophon), implying a spatial dimension in the vertical plane or front-to-back.
The term extends beyond physical depth into other measurable dimensions, e.g.:
- The depth or thickness of hair (Herodotus).
Metaphorically, it signifies the depth or intensity of abstract qualities, such as the “depth of evils” (Aeschylus) or “depth of wealth” (Sophocles).

The Latin equivalent for this vertical dimension—whether height or depth—is altitudo, capturing the sense of vertical measurement in either direction. Thus, βάθος in Greek, especially in classical and later literature, can mean depth or height, as measured vertically upward or downward.

(cf. Middell-Liddell)