H0100 H0100
rush, bulrush — a marshland plant used for cord-making and as a figure of the lowly or insignificant
Agmon designates a rush or bulrush, a tall marsh plant familiar throughout the ancient Near East. In its literal sense, it appears in the speeches of God to Job: twisted rush fibers serve as cord (Job 41:2) and rushes burn as fuel (Job 41:20). Isaiah uses the image of bowing the head like a rush to critique empty fasting (Isa 58:5). Metaphorically, the rush represents the lowly and insignificant in Isaiah's judgment oracles — 'palm branch and reed' as a merism for high and low (Isa 9:14; 19:15). Spanish 'junco' and English 'reed/rush' consistently capture this wetland-plant sense.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A rush or bulrush, a tall wetland plant whose fibrous stems were used for making rope and whose dry stalks served as kindling. In Job 41:2 (English 40:26), God asks whether one can put a rope of rushes through Leviathan's nose; in Job 41:20 burning rushes illustrate the creature's fiery breath. Isaiah 58:5 uses the image of bowing one's head 'like a rush' to describe performative humility. When used metaphorically (Isa 9:14; 19:15), the rush represents the lowly and insignificant, paired with the palm branch (kippah) as a merism for leaders and commoners. Spanish 'junco' and English 'reed' confirm the botanical referent across translation traditions. 5×
AR["أَوْ-أَسَلٌ", "حَلْقَةً", "كَ-الْأَسَلِ", "وَ-أَسَلًا", "وَأَسَلٍ."]·ben["আর-নলখাগড়া", "এবং-নলখাগড়া", "ও-নলখাগড়া", "নলখাগড়া", "নলখাগড়ার-মতো"]·DE["[אגמון]", "[ואגמון]", "[ואגמן]", "[כאגמן]"]·EN["a-reed", "and-burning-rushes", "and-reed", "like-a-bulrush"]·FR["[ואגמון]", "[כאגמן]", "et-ואגמן", "אגמון"]·heb["אגמון", "ו-אגמון", "כ-אגמון"]·HI["और-सरकंडा", "और-सरकंडे", "रस्सी", "सरकंडेकी-तरह"]·ID["atau-rumput", "dan-alang-alang", "dan-gelagah", "seperti-gelagah", "tali rumput"]·IT["[ואגמון]", "[כאגמן]", "a-reed", "e-e-burning-rushes"]·jav["kados-tlutuh", "lan-glagah", "lan-glagah.", "lan-kambengan", "tali-glagah"]·KO["갈대를", "골풀같이-", "그리고-갈대라", "그리고-갈대를", "그리고-갈대의"]·PT["como-junco", "e-junco", "e-junco.", "junco"]·RU["и-тростник", "и-тростника", "как-тростник", "тростник"]·ES["como-junco", "junco", "o-junco", "y-junco", "y-juncos"]·SW["kama-tete", "kamba-ya-matete", "na-matete", "na-nyasi", "na-tete"]·TR["kamışı", "saz-gibi", "ve-kamis", "ve-sazlık"]·urd["اور-سرکنڈا", "اور-سرکنڈوں-سے", "جھو-کی-طرح", "سرکنڈا"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אַגְמֹן, אַגְמוֹן n.[m.] rush, bulrush. 1. used as cord or line Jb 40:26 (of twisted rushes, or spun of rush-fibre, cf. Di ad loc.); as fuel 41:12; sim. of bending head Is 58:5. 2. metaph. of the lowly, insignif. (‖ כִּפָּה) Is 9:13; 19:15.