βᾰθύς G0901
deep, profound; physically deep or occurring early at dawn ('deep morning'), and figuratively of hidden mysteries
The adjective bathys spans physical depth, temporal earliness, and figurative profundity across its four NT occurrences. John 4:11 is literal: the Samaritan woman tells Jesus 'the well is deep.' Luke 24:1 uses the distinctive phrase 'deep dawn' (orthrou batheos) for the earliest hours of Easter morning. Acts 20:9 describes Eutychus sinking into 'deep sleep' during Paul's lengthy sermon. Revelation 2:24 speaks of 'the deep things of Satan' — a phrase Jesus uses ironically against the claims of false teachers in Thyatira. Spanish 'profundo/profunda,' French 'profond,' and German 'tief' all render the basic spatial sense, while the figurative extensions emerge from context.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Physically deep — extending far downward from the surface. The Samaritan woman observes that Jacob's well is 'deep' (John 4:11), explaining why Jesus would need a bucket to draw water. This is the most concrete and foundational sense, reflected uniformly across languages: Spanish 'profundo,' French 'profond,' German 'tief.' The spatial reality of depth becomes the basis for all metaphorical extensions. 4×
AR["أَعْماقَ", "باكِرٍ-جِدًّا", "عَمِيقٌ", "عَمِيقٍ"]·ben["গভীর", "গভীরে"]·DE["tief", "βαθέως", "βαθεῖ"]·EN["deep", "deep-things"]·FR["profond"]·heb["הָ-עֲמֻקּוֹת", "מֻקְדָּם", "עֲמֻקָּה", "עָמֹק"]·HI["गहरा;", "गहरी", "गहरी-बातों-को"]·ID["dalam;", "kedalaman", "nyenyak", "sekali"]·IT["bathea", "batheos", "bathu", "profondo"]·jav["jero;", "lebet", "lebet,", "sanget"]·KO["깊다", "깊은", "깊은-것들-을"]·PT["fundo;", "profundezas", "profundo,"]·RU["глубин", "глубокий", "глубокий,", "глубокого"]·ES["profunda", "profundidades", "profundo"]·SW["kirefu", "mambo-ya-ndani-sana", "mzito", "sana"]·TR["-o", "derin", "erken"]·urd["گہرائیاں", "گہری", "گہرے", "ہے"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
βᾰθύς, βαθεῖα Ionic dialect βαθέᾰ, βαθύ; feminine βαθύς Refs 3rd c.BC+; genitive βαθέος, βαθείας Ionic dialect βαθέης: dative βαθέϊ, βαθείῃ Ionic dialect βαθέῃ: comparative βαθύτερος, poetry βαθίων [ῑ Attic dialect, ῐ Refs 3rd c.BC+:—deep or high, accusative to one's position, Refs 8th c.BC+; βαθέης ἐξάλλεται αὐλῆς a court within a high fence, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἠϊόνος προπάροιθε βαθείης the deep,…