Meaning
Bulrushes are tall, reed-like plants that grow in wet places and along riverbanks. The KJV uses the word in passages describing waterside vegetation. The Hebrew word translated as “bulrushes” in Exodus 2:3 is gōmeʾ, commonly associated with papyrus or a similar marsh plant.
Biblical Usage
In Exodus 2:3, Moses’ mother made an ark of bulrushes, coated it with slime and pitch, and placed the child inside. She laid the ark among the flags by the river’s brink so that he might be hidden.
Job 8:11 asks whether the bulrush can grow without mire, and Isaiah 18:2 and 35:7 also refer to plants associated with waters and marshes.
Key References
- Exodus 2:3
- Job 8:11
- Isaiah 18:2
- Isaiah 35:7
Related Terms
- Moses
- Jochebed
- Nile River
- Ark of Bulrushes