H5488 H5488
Reeds or rushes; aquatic vegetation, most famously in Yam Suph (Sea of Reeds)
Suph is a collective noun for aquatic reeds or rushes, likely borrowed from Egyptian twfi. Its overwhelming biblical use is in the compound Yam Suph -- the Sea of Reeds -- where God divided the waters for Israel (Exod 15:4, 22). Yet the word also appears in vivid narrative detail: baby Moses was hidden 'in the reeds' along the Nile bank (Exod 2:3, 5), and Isaiah pairs it with qaneh (cane) when describing Egypt's withering waterways (Isa 19:6). Jonah extends the image underwater, describing seaweed wrapping around his head as he sank (Jonah 2:5).
1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') — Reeds or rushes in the geographic compound Yam Suph, the 'Sea of Reeds,' the dominant usage across the Pentateuch, historical books, and Psalms. From the Red Sea crossing (Exod 13:18; 15:4) to Solomon's fleet at the sea's shore (1 Kgs 9:26) and psalmists recalling deliverance (Ps 106:7, 9, 22), this sense is geographic and commemorative. Spanish 'Juncos' and German 'Suph' both transliterate or translate the plant name within the place-name. 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 more senses below
Senses
2. reeds, rushes (as vegetation) — Actual aquatic vegetation growing along riverbanks, as when Moses' mother placed the basket 'in the reeds' (basuph, Exod 2:3, 5) and Miriam watched nearby. Isaiah 19:6 pairs suph with qaneh (cane/reed), depicting Egypt's canals drying up. German 'Schilf' (reed) and Spanish 'junco' (rush) capture this literal botanical sense. 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 underwater plant matter, used uniquely in Jonah 2:5 where the drowning prophet describes suph wrapped around his head in the deep. Arabic cognates support this extension from freshwater reeds to marine vegetation. French 'roseau' and the contextual English 'seaweed' reflect this maritime adaptation of the root's plant imagery. 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"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
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.…