H5488 H5488
reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds'); reeds, rushes (as vegetation); seaweed
Senses
1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') — Reeds or rushes as a collective noun, most frequently appearing in the compound יַם־סוּף ('Sea of Reeds'), the body of water God parted during the Exodus. This is the predominant usage across the Pentateuch and historical/poetic books: Exod 10:19, 13:18, 15:4,22, 23:31; Num 14:25, 21:4, 33:10-11; Deut 1:40, 2:1, 11:4; Josh 2:10, 4:23, 24:6; Pss 106:7,9,22; Jer 49:21. Korean translates as 홍해 (Red Sea) or 갈대 (reeds); German uses Reeds/Suph; Spanish alternates between Suf and Rojo; Arabic consistently transliterates سُوف. The word is probably an Egyptian loanword (ṭwfi). All these occurrences represent the same lexical item used geographically. 24×
AR["سوفَ","سُوف","سُوفٍ","سُوفَ"]·ben["নলখাগড়ার","লোহিত","লোহিত;","লোহিতের","সাগরের।","সূফ","সূফের"]·DE["Ende","Reeds","Suph"]·EN["Reeds","Suph"]·FR["Reeds","Roseaux","Suph","[סוף]","mer-des-Joncs"]·heb["סוּף","סוף"]·HI["लाल","लाल-के","लाल-तक।","समुद्र","सूफ","सूफ-के"]·ID["Teberau"]·IT["Giunchi","Mar-Rosso","Reeds","Suph","[סוף]"]·jav["Abang","Abrit","Teberau","abrit"]·KO["갈대","갈대-의","갈대의","홍해","홍해-를","홍해-에서","홍해의"]·PT["Suf","Suf,","Suf.","Vermelho","de-Suf;","juncos"]·RU["Суф","Тростникового","Тростниковым","Чермного","Чермное"]·ES["Juncos","Rojo","Suf"]·SW["-","Shamu","kumweka","ya-Shamu"]·TR["Kamis'in","Kamish'ın","Kamış","Kamış'un","Kızıl","Suf","Suf'un","Süf"]·urd["سرخ","سوف","سوف-کے","سُوف","قلزم","قُلزُم","لال-سے","لال-کے"]
Exod 10:19, Exod 13:18, Exod 15:4, Exod 15:22, Exod 23:31, Num 14:25, Num 21:4, Num 33:10, Num 33:11, Deut 1:40, Deut 2:1, Deut 11:4 (+12 more)
2. reeds, rushes (as vegetation) — Reeds or rushes as actual aquatic vegetation rather than a geographical name. In Exod 2:3,5 Moses' basket is placed 'in the reeds' (בַּסּוּף) along the Nile bank, and Miriam watches from among 'the reeds' (הַסּוּף). In Isa 19:6 the prophet predicts that 'reed and rush' (קָנֶה וָסוּף) will wither in Egypt's dried-up waterways. Arabic uses الْأَسَل (rushes), distinct from the geographic سُوف; German uses Schilf (reed plant); Hindi uses नाल (stalk/reed); Spanish uses junco (rush). The botanical reference is clearly distinguished from the geographic name by the definite article and the concrete physical context. 3×
AR["الْأَسَلِ","فِي-الْأَسَلِ","وَالأَسَلُ"]·ben["ও-হোগলা","নলখাগড়ায়","নলখাগড়ার"]·DE["[וסוף]","der-Schilf","in-der-Schilf"]·EN["and-rush","in-the-reeds","the-reeds"]·FR["[וסוף]","dans-le-reeds","le-reeds"]·heb["ב-סוף","ה-סוף","ו-סוף"]·HI["और-सरकंडा","नाल-के","नाल-में"]·ID["dan-gelagah","di-rumput-gelagah","rumput-gelagah"]·IT["[וסוף]","il-reeds","in-il-reeds"]·jav["glagah","lan-kambengan","wonten-ing-glagah"]·KO["그리고-갈대가","그리고-놓았다","시녀를-그녀의"]·PT["e-junco","nos-juncos","os-juncos"]·RU["в-тростник","и-камыш","тростника"]·ES["el-junco","en-el-junco","y-junco"]·SW["katika-manyasi","manyasi","na-matete"]·TR["sazlıkta","sazlığın","ve-saz"]·urd["اور-جھیل-گھاس","سرکنڈوں-میں","سرکنڈوں-کے"]
3. seaweed — Seaweed or aquatic plant matter wrapped around someone submerged in the sea. Used uniquely in Jonah 2:5 where Jonah describes his near-drowning: 'seaweed (סוּף) was wrapped around my head.' Arabic translates as أَعْشَاب (herbs/weeds), Hindi as समुद्री घास (sea grass), Korean as 해초 (seaweed), Spanish as alga -- all distinctly different from the 'reed' or geographic translations used elsewhere. German renders it as Ende (end), which appears to be an error. The underwater marine context distinguishes this from riverbank reeds and the geographic name. 1×
AR["أَعْشَابٌ"]·ben["শৈবাল"]·DE["Ende"]·EN["seaweed"]·FR["roseau"]·heb["סוף"]·HI["समुद्री-घास"]·ID["rumput-laut"]·IT["[סוף]"]·jav["alang-alang"]·KO["해초-가"]·PT["alga"]·RU["водоросли"]·ES["alga"]·SW["mwani"]·TR["yosun"]·urd["سمندری-گھاس"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. סוּף n.m. Jon 2:6 reeds, rushes (coll.) (prob. loan-word from Egyptian ṭwfi, reeds, SteindorffBASi. 603 ErmanZMG xivi (1892), 122; Semitic according to WMMAs. u. Eur. 101);— 1. rushes, in Nile Ex 2:3, 5 (E); קָנֶהוָסוּף Is 19:6 (of Egypt); Jon 2:6. 2. usually in combin. יַם־סוּף prob. = sea of rushes or reeds (> sea of (city) Suph), which Gk. incl. in wider name θάλασσα ἐρυθρά, Red Sea (cf.…