In biblical literature, the term "marsh" refers to wet, swampy areas that are often characterized by stagnant water and an abundance of reeds and rushes. These areas are typically low-lying and can be found near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or seas. Marshes are mentioned in the Bible in both literal and metaphorical contexts, often symbolizing desolation or uninhabitable land.

Biblical References:

1. Ezekiel 47:11 · In the vision of the river flowing from the temple, Ezekiel describes the transformation of the land by the life-giving waters. However, he notes, "But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt." . This passage highlights the distinction between areas that are revitalized by the river and those that remain barren, symbolizing places that are resistant to spiritual renewal.

2. Isaiah 35:7 · The prophet Isaiah speaks of a future transformation of the land, where "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 rushes." . Here, the marsh is part of a prophetic vision of restoration and abundance, contrasting the desolation of the wilderness with the fertility brought by divine intervention.

3. Job 8:11 · In the discourse of Bildad the Shuhite, he asks rhetorically, "Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?" . This imagery underscores the dependence of certain plants on marshy conditions, serving as a metaphor for the necessity of a proper foundation for growth and prosperity.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In the Bible, marshes often symbolize unproductive or cursed land, places that are inhospitable and resistant to cultivation. This symbolism can extend to spiritual interpretations, where marshy areas represent the hearts or lives of individuals who are resistant to God's transformative power. The contrast between fertile, life-giving waters and stagnant marshes serves as a powerful metaphor for spiritual renewal versus spiritual stagnation.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, marshes were common geographical features, particularly in regions like the Nile Delta and Mesopotamia. These areas were known for their dense vegetation and wildlife, but they were also challenging for agriculture and settlement due to their waterlogged conditions. The biblical authors would have been familiar with these landscapes, using them as effective imagery to convey messages of judgment, desolation, or, conversely, divine restoration.

Theological Implications:

The presence of marshes in biblical prophecy and poetry often carries theological implications about God's sovereignty and the transformative power of His word. While marshes may initially appear as symbols of desolation, they also serve as reminders of God's ability to bring life and renewal to even the most barren places. This duality reflects the broader biblical theme of redemption and the hope of restoration for all creation.(n.) A tract of soft wet land, commonly covered partially or wholly with water; a fen; a swamp; a morass.MARSH

marsh ((1) gebhe', the American Standard Revised Version "marsh," the King James Version and the English Revised Version "marish" (Ezekiel 47:11); the King James Version "pit," the Revised Version (British and American) "cistern" (Isaiah 30:14); compare Arabic jaba', "reservoir," "watering-through"; (2) bots, "mire"; bitstsah, "mire," "fen"; compare Arabic badda, to "trickle," badad, "a little water"; (3) TiT, "mire" "clay"; (4) chomer, "mire," "clay," "mortar"; (5) ma`abheh ha-'adhamah (1 Kings 7:46), and `abhi ha-'adhamah (2 Chronicles 4:17), "clay ground"): In the vision of Ezekiel the saltness of the Dead Sea is "healed" by the stream issuing from under the threshold of the temple, "But the miry places (bitstsah) thereof, and the marshes (gebhe') thereof, shall not be healed" (Ezekiel 47:11). Gebhe' occurs elsewhere only in Isaiah 30:14, where the King James Version has "pit" and the Revised Version (British and American) "cistern." Bots, "mire," is found only in Jeremiah 38:22. Bitstsah is found also in Job 8:11,

"Can the rush grow up without mire (bitstsah)?

Can the flag grow without water?"

and in Job 40:21 (of the behemoth),

"He lieth under the lotus-trees,

In the covert of the reed, and the fen (bitstsah)."

In 1 Maccabees 9:42, 45 helos, but in 9:42 Codex Vaticanus reads oros, "mount." Marshes are found near the mouths of some of the rivers, as the Kishon, about the Chuleh (? waters of Merom), at various places in the course of the Jordan and about the Dead Sea, especially at its south end. For the most part Palestine is rocky and dry.

Alfred Ely Day

98. agam -- a marsh, muddy pool
... 97, 98. agam. 99 . a marsh, muddy pool. Transliteration: agam Phonetic
Spelling: (ag-am') Short Definition: pool. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/98.htm - 6k

1207. bitstsah -- a swamp
... 1206, 1207. bitstsah. 1208 . a swamp. Transliteration: bitstsah Phonetic
Spelling: (bits-tsaw') Short Definition: marsh. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/1207.htm - 6k

1360. gebe -- a cistern, pool
... marish, pit. From an unused root meaning probably to collect; a reservoir; by analogy,
a marsh -- marish, pit. 1359, 1360. gebe. 1361 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1360.htm - 5k

6854. tsephardea -- frogs
... frog. From tsaphar and a word elsewhere unused meaning a swamp; a marsh-leaper,
ie Frog -- frog. see HEBREW tsaphar. 6853, 6854. tsephardea. 6855 . ...
/hebrew/6854.htm - 6k

260. achu -- reeds, rushes
... grass. Word Origin of foreign origin Definition reeds, rushes NASB Word
Usage marsh grass (2), reeds (1), rushes (1). flag, meadow. ...
/hebrew/260.htm - 6k

Chapter fourteen
... President Marsh, true to his promise, took up his cross and bore it manfully, but
with shuddering, with groans and even tears, for his deepest conviction was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter fourteen.htm

Chapter eleven
... Chapter Eleven. Donald Marsh, President of Lincoln College, walked home with Mr.
Maxwell. "I have reached one conclusion, Maxwell," said Marsh, speaking slowly. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter eleven.htm

Letter M
... Received 1816 * Marble, Elias "Received 1810, Withdrew 1835 * Marcy, Thomas "Received
1835 * Marsee, Joseph "Received 1827 * Marsh, Jeremiah "Received ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bangs/an alphabetical list of m e preachers/letter m.htm

Apparitions on Occasion of the Death of Jesus.
... at the south-eastern extremity, near Tarichea, because in this part there was a
long causeway made of stones, between the lake and a sort of marsh, which gave ...
/.../chapter lvi apparitions on occasion.htm

A Peasant's Son
... A MONOTONOUS line of sand hills and the sea; a vast barren land stretching away
in wave-like undulations far as eye can reach; marsh and heath and sand, sand ...
/.../forbes/life of st vincent de paul/chapter 1 a peasants son.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... At that time the future Babylonia was a pestiferous marsh, inundated by the
unchecked overflow of the rivers which flowed through it. ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

The Plagues
... Masanath would hunt for wild-duck and marsh-hen, while there was yet time. It was
an hour after sunrise. ... "Look at the Marsh of the Discontented Soul. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxix the plagues.htm

The Life of Captain John Paton.
... being sent from Montrose with fresh supplies of men, the covenanters were obliged
to give way, and were, by the enemy, turned over unto a standing marsh or bog ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of captain john.htm

Of the Origin, Life, Reign, Name and Death of Jupiter, and of ...
... He also swears most solemnly by the Stygian marsh: "Which is set forth the sole
object of religious dread to the gods above." What is this object of religious ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xi of the origin life.htm

Wesley Interviews Mrs. Pilkington
... Sunday, May 20 (Cork)."Understanding the usual place of preaching would by no means
contain those who desired to hear, about eight I went to Hammond's Marsh. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley interviews mrs pilkington.htm

Marsh (4 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MARSH. ... For the most part Palestine is rocky and
dry. Alfred Ely Day. Multi-Version Concordance Marsh (4 Occurrences). ...
/m/marsh.htm - 9k

Marish
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Low, wet ground; a marsh; a fen; a bog; a moor.
2. (a.) Moory; fenny; boggy. 3. (a.) Growing in marshes. Int. ...
/m/marish.htm - 6k

Rush (35 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A name given to many aquatic or marsh-growing endogenous plants with
soft, slender stems, as the species of Juncus and Scirpus. ...
/r/rush.htm - 20k

Fed (62 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Genesis 41:2 Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and
fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV). ...
/f/fed.htm - 25k

Bog (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy
ground where a heavy body is apt to sink; a marsh; a morass. ...
/b/bog.htm - 7k

Sleek (7 Occurrences)
... Sleek (7 Occurrences). Genesis 41:2 Behold, there came up out of the river seven
cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. (WEB NAS RSV NIV). ...
/s/sleek.htm - 8k

Fat (150 Occurrences)
... Genesis 41:2 Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat,
and they fed in the marsh grass. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/f/fat.htm - 44k

Marshal (2 Occurrences)

/m/marshal.htm - 9k

Grass (92 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Genesis 41:2 Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and
fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. (WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV). ...
/g/grass.htm - 43k

River (189 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT). Genesis 41:2 Behold, there came up out of the river
seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. ...
/r/river.htm - 52k

Did the Israelites in the book of Exodus cross the Red Sea or the Reed Sea? | GotQuestions.org

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Marsh: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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