13:5a

Some: The word Some refers to another group of seeds.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Other seeds (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Some of the seeds

fell: Translate this verb as you did in 13:4b.

rocky ground, where it did not have much soil: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rocky ground refers to ground that has a layer of solid rock underneath. This kind of ground did not have much soil over the solid rock. It was shallow ground. This clause does not refer to soil and rocks mixed together.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

shallow soil with underlying rock (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊solid⌋ rock with a thin layer of soil
-or-
bedrock where there is only a little soil on top

it: The pronoun it refers to the seeds. In some translations, a pronoun here is not necessary. For example:

where there was little soil (God’s Word)

did not have much soil: The word soil refers to the kind of ground/earth where plants grow. In this situation, there was very little soil on top of the layer of rock.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

there wasn’t much dirt (New Century Version)

13:5b

It sprang up quickly: This clause refers to the seeds quickly sprouting and becoming plants.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The seeds soon sprouted (Good News Translation)
-or-
The plants came up quickly

It: As in 13:5a, the pronoun It refers to the seeds.

because: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason why the seeds sprang up quickly.

Here is another way to translate this word:

because

the soil was shallow: The clause the soil was shallow has a similar meaning to “it did not have much soil” in 13:5a. It means that they (the seeds) did not have much soil in which to grow.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

the soil was not deep

General Comment on 13:5b

The clause “It sprang up quickly” is the result clause, and the clause “because the soil was shallow” is the reason clause here. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

Since the soil was shallow, the seeds sprang up quickly

-or-

The soil was shallow, so the seeds sprang up quickly

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