Bulrushes, often referred to in biblical texts, are plants commonly associated with marshy or aquatic environments. The term "bulrush" is used in various translations of the Bible to describe certain types of reeds or sedges, particularly those found along the Nile River and other bodies of water in the ancient Near East.

Biblical References:

1. Exodus 2:3 · One of the most notable mentions of bulrushes is in the account of Moses' infancy. His mother, Jochebed, placed him in an ark made of bulrushes to save him from Pharaoh's decree to kill all Hebrew male infants. The Berean Standard Bible states: "But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile." The term "reeds" here is often understood to refer to bulrushes, highlighting their abundance and utility in the region.

2. Isaiah 18:2 · The prophet Isaiah speaks of a nation "sending envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water." The reference to "papyrus boats" indicates the use of bulrushes, as papyrus is a type of bulrush. This passage underscores the significance of bulrushes in ancient transportation and trade.

3. Job 8:11 · In this verse, Bildad the Shuhite uses the imagery of bulrushes to illustrate the fate of the wicked: "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?" This rhetorical question emphasizes the dependence of bulrushes on water, symbolizing the reliance of humans on God's provision.

Cultural and Historical Context:

Bulrushes, particularly the papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus), were integral to the daily life and economy of ancient Egypt and surrounding regions. They were used not only for making small boats and baskets, as seen in the account of Moses, but also for producing papyrus paper, a crucial medium for writing in the ancient world.

The bulrush's ability to thrive in wet, marshy areas made it a symbol of fertility and life. Its presence in biblical narratives often carries connotations of protection and providence, as seen in the preservation of Moses.

Symbolism and Theological Significance:

In biblical literature, bulrushes can symbolize both vulnerability and divine protection. The account of Moses in the bulrushes is a powerful testament to God's providential care and the deliverance of His people. The use of bulrushes in this narrative highlights the theme of salvation and the unfolding of God's plan through seemingly humble and fragile means.

Furthermore, the imagery of bulrushes in prophetic and poetic texts often serves to illustrate broader spiritual truths, such as the necessity of remaining rooted in God's sustenance, much like the bulrushes' dependence on water.

In summary, bulrushes in the Bible are more than just plants; they are rich in symbolic meaning and historical significance, reflecting God's interaction with His creation and His people.ARK OF BULRUSHES

ark, bool'-rush-iz (tebhah; Egyptian tebt; Septuagint thibis, "a chest," "a vessel to float").

1. Definitions:

The Hebrew word here translated "ark" is used in the Old Testament only of the ark of Noah (Genesis 6:14) and of the ark of bulrushes (Exodus 2:3), and always in the secondary meaning, a vessel to float. The Septuagint translates it of Noah's ark by kibotos, "a casket," and of the ark of bulrushes by thibis, a little basket made of osiers or flags. For the Ark of the Covenant, the Hebrew employed a different word ('aron, "a chest"). Bulrushes (gome', "papyrus"): This species of reed was used by the Egyptians for many different vessels, some of which were intended to float or even to be used as a skiff. Slime (chemar, "bitumen"), pitch (zepheth, "pitch") was probably the sticky mud of the Nile with which to this day so many things in Egypt are plastered. In this case it was mixed with bitumen. Flags (cuph, "sedge") were reeds of every kind and tall grass growing in the shallow water at the edge of the river.

2. History:

Thus the ark of bulrushes was a vessel made of papyrus stalks and rendered fit to float by being covered with a mixture of bitumen and mud. Into this floating vessel the mother of Moses placed the boy when he was three months old, and put the vessel in the water among the sedge along the banks of the Nile at the place where the ladies from the palace were likely to come to bathe. The act was a pathetic imitation of obedience to the king's command to throw boy babies into the river, a command which she had for three months braved and which now she so obeyed as probably to bring the cruelty of the king to the notice of the royal ladies in such way as to arouse a womanly sympathy, A similar story is related of Sargon I of Babylonia (Records of the Past, 1st series, V, 1-4; Rogers, Hist. Babylonian and Assyrian, I, 362).

The one story in no wise discredits the other. That method of abandoning children, either willingly or by necessity, is as natural along the Nile and the Euphrates, where the river is the great artery of the land and where the floating basket had been used from time immemorial, as is the custom in our modern cities of placing abandoned infants in the streets or on door-steps where they are likely to be found, and such events probably occurred then as often as now.

M. G. Kyle

BULRUSHES, ARK OF

See ARK OF BULRUSHES.

6169. arah -- bare place
... 6168, 6169. arah. 6170 . bare place. Transliteration: arah Phonetic
Spelling: (aw-raw') Short Definition: bulrushes. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6169.htm - 6k

The Babe in the Bulrushes
The Babe in the Bulrushes. <. The Babe in the Bulrushes Amy Steedman.
Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Juliet Sutherland ...
//christianbookshelf.org/steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/

The Babe in the Bulrushes
The Babe in the Bulrushes. <. ... Title Page. THE BABE IN THE BULRUSHES. By AMY
STEEDMAN. [Illustration: The baby Moses in the bulrushes.]. [Illustration]. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/title page.htm

The Finding of Moses
The Babe in the Bulrushes. ... At the edge of the river there grew tall bulrushes, which,
when cut down and dried, could be made into many useful things. ...
/.../steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/the finding of moses.htm

Books in this Series
The Babe in the Bulrushes. <. ... BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. JOSEPH THE DREAMER THE
BABE IN THE BULRUSHES. DAVID THE SHEPHERD BOY. THE CHILD JESUS. ...
/.../steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/books in this series.htm

Ruth, the Gleaner
The Babe in the Bulrushes. <. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/ruth the gleaner.htm

Samuel, the Little Server
The Babe in the Bulrushes. <. ...
/.../steedman/the babe in the bulrushes/samuel the little server.htm

Palestine under Pagan Kings.
... Midianites, came in sight. [Illustration: Moses Found in the Bulrushes.].
A new idea now flashed upon their minds. They could avoid ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/palestine under pagan kings.htm

Concerning the Afflictions that Befell the Hebrews in Egypt ...
... When they had thus determined, they made an ark of bulrushes, after the manner of
a cradle, and of a bigness sufficient for an infant to be laid in, without ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 concerning the afflictions.htm

Books in this Series
... BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. JOSEPH THE DREAMER THE BABE IN THE BULRUSHES DAVID THE SHEPHERD
BOY THE CHILD JESUS THE GOOD PHYSICIAN THE GOOD SHEPHERD. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/steedman/david the shepherd boy/books in this series.htm

List of Illustrations
... Frontispiece The babe among the bulrushes. Ruth and Naomi. The child Samuel.
David and Goliath. Naaman at the house of Elisha. ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/list of illustrations.htm

Bulrushes (3 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ARK OF BULRUSHES. ark, bool'-rush-iz (tebhah; Egyptian
tebt; Septuagint thibis, "a chest," "a vessel to float"). ...
/b/bulrushes.htm - 10k

Slime (6 Occurrences)
... The vale of Siddim was full of slime pits (14:10). Jochebed daubed the "ark of
bulrushes" with slime (Exodus 2:3). (see PITCH.). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/s/slime.htm - 11k

Moses (9295 Occurrences)
... became difficult, Jochebed contrived to bring her child under the notice of the
daughter of the king by constructing for him an ark of bulrushes, which she ...
/m/moses.htm - 53k

Bulrush (3 Occurrences)

/b/bulrush.htm - 8k

Bulwark (29 Occurrences)

/b/bulwark.htm - 15k

Boats (11 Occurrences)
... returning to tell the tidings of the overthrow of Assyria to the inhabitants of
those remote lands (18:2 the King James Version has "bulrushes" instead of ...
/b/boats.htm - 40k

Ark (212 Occurrences)
... The ark of bulrushes in which the infant Moses was laid (Exodus 2:3) is called in
the Hebrew teebah, a word derived from the Egyptian teb, meaning "a chest ...
/a/ark.htm - 84k

Ships (46 Occurrences)
... returning to tell the tidings of the overthrow of Assyria to the inhabitants of
those remote lands (18:2 the King James Version has "bulrushes" instead of ...
/s/ships.htm - 53k

Flags (9 Occurrences)
... Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes,
and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein ...
/f/flags.htm - 9k

Rushes (13 Occurrences)
... Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes,
and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein ...
/r/rushes.htm - 9k

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