The term "fens" refers to marshy or swampy areas, characterized by waterlogged soil and abundant vegetation. In biblical contexts, fens are often associated with desolation, uninhabitable land, and places of refuge or hiding. While the specific term "fens" is not directly used in the Berean Standard Bible , the concept is present in various passages that describe similar landscapes.

Biblical References and Context

1. Isaiah 35:7 : "The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus." This verse speaks of transformation and renewal, where desolate and dry areas become lush and fertile. The mention of "reeds and papyrus" suggests a marshy environment akin to fens, symbolizing God's promise of restoration and abundance.

2. Job 8:11 : "Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?" Here, Bildad the Shuhite uses the imagery of marshes to illustrate the necessity of a suitable environment for growth. The rhetorical questions emphasize the dependence of certain plants on wet, marshy conditions, highlighting the natural order established by God.

3. Ezekiel 47:11 : "But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt." In this prophetic vision of the river flowing from the temple, Ezekiel describes areas that remain salty and unproductive, contrasting with the life-giving waters that bring healing and fertility elsewhere. The mention of "swamps and marshes" aligns with the concept of fens as places that can be both life-sustaining and barren, depending on God's will.

Symbolism and Theological Significance

In biblical literature, fens and similar landscapes often symbolize desolation, judgment, and the consequences of sin. However, they can also represent refuge and divine intervention. For instance, the transformation of barren land into fertile ground is a recurring theme that underscores God's power to renew and restore.

The imagery of fens can also serve as a metaphor for spiritual conditions. Just as marshy areas require water to sustain life, so too do individuals need the living water of God's Word and Spirit to thrive spiritually. The presence of reeds and papyrus in these environments can symbolize the potential for growth and renewal when one is rooted in faith.

Historical and Cultural Context

In the ancient Near East, marshy areas were common, particularly in regions like Egypt and Mesopotamia. These areas were often seen as inhospitable and challenging to navigate, yet they also provided resources such as reeds for papyrus and other materials. The biblical authors, familiar with these landscapes, used them to convey messages of both warning and hope.

Conclusion

While the term "fens" is not explicitly found in the Berean Standard Bible, the concept is woven throughout Scripture in descriptions of marshy, waterlogged areas. These landscapes serve as powerful symbols of both desolation and divine transformation, reflecting the broader biblical themes of judgment, renewal, and the sustaining power of God's presence.

Wesley in the Fens
... Chapter 17. Wesley Arrested; A Terrible Ride; A Methodist Isaac Newton;
Wesley and the American War Wesley in the Fens. Tuesday, 22 ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley in the fens.htm

Wesley on "Boston Stump"
... Formerly this town was in the fens; but the fens are vanished away: a great part
of them is turned into pasture, and part into arable land. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley on boston stump.htm

The High Woods
... to satisfy his own self- respect, condescended to trot off with us up the tramway,
which lay along a green drove strangely like one in the Cambridgeshire fens. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter vii the high woods.htm

How Taricheae was Taken. A Description of the River Jordan, and of ...
... and its length one hundred and forty; its waters are sweet, and very agreeable for
drinking, for they are finer than the thick waters of other fens; the lake ...
/.../chapter 10 how taricheae was.htm

A Strain of Sodom.
... To what vain end your lust? For such an end. No creatures wed: not such as
haunt the fens; Not stall-fed cattle; not the gaping brood. ...
/.../fathers of the third century tertullian appendix/2 a strain of sodom.htm

The Death of Cyrus.
... perpetual drought, which produced bare and desolate deserts, and sometimes by incessant
rains, which drenched the country and filled it with morasses and fens. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter xii the death of.htm

Terror by Night
... They fancied that the forests, the fens, the caves, were full of spiteful and ugly
spirits, who tempted men to danger and to death; and when they prayed to be ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon xvi terror by night.htm

Pamias. Paneas, the Spring of Jordan.
... in Daphne) which send little Jordan, as it is called, into the great." He treats,
in the text cited, of the lake Samochonitis, and saith, "That the fens of it ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 67 pamias paneas the.htm

The Lake Samochonitis [Or Semechonitis. ]
... The fens of it are stretched out unto the country Daphne; a country, as it is otherwise
pleasant, so containing fountains: [Greek passage omitted]. ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 69 the lake samochonitis.htm

The Retreat from Scythia.
... them, "that, unless you can fly like a bird into the air, or hide like a mouse in
the ground, or bury yourselves, like the frog, in morasses and fens, you can ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter ix the retreat from.htm

Fens (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Fens (1 Occurrence). Job 40:21 He lieth under the shady
trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. (KJV JPS WBS). ...
/f/fens.htm - 6k

Offence (27 Occurrences)
... o-fens', o-fend' (mikhshol, 'asham, chaTa'; skandalon, skandalizo): "Offend" is
either transitive or intransitive As transitive it is primarily "to strike ...
/o/offence.htm - 25k

Offend (24 Occurrences)
... o-fens', o-fend' (mikhshol, 'asham, chaTa'; skandalon, skandalizo): "Offend" is
either transitive or intransitive As transitive it is primarily "to strike ...
/o/offend.htm - 23k

Fen (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Fen (1 Occurrence). Job 40:21 He lieth under the shady
trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. (Root in KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). ...
/f/fen.htm - 6k

Ferment (3 Occurrences)

/f/ferment.htm - 7k

Fenceth (2 Occurrences)

/f/fenceth.htm - 7k

Flag (30 Occurrences)
... Can the flag (margin "reed-grass") grow without water?"). Some such general
term as "sedges" or "fens" would better meet the requirements. ...
/f/flag.htm - 18k

Fence (12 Occurrences)
... FENCE. fens (batsar, mibhtsar): Commonly used in the King James Version in the
description of fortified places, as the translation of batsar, "to cut off," "to ...
/f/fence.htm - 15k

Reeds (27 Occurrences)
... Can the reed-grass grow without water? (See RSV NIV). Job 40:21 He lieth under the
lotus-trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. (See NAS RSV NIV). ...
/r/reeds.htm - 14k

Defence (48 Occurrences)
... ordinance. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. DEFENCE. de-fens'. See COURTS,
JUDICIAL. Multi-Version Concordance Defence (48 Occurrences). ...
/d/defence.htm - 20k

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