Meaning
A flag is a piece of cloth bearing a design, picture, or symbol, often attached to a pole or rope and used to identify a country, group, or organization, or to give a signal.
Biblical Usage
In the King James Version (KJV), the word “flags” has an older botanical meaning: reeds or marsh vegetation growing in wet places.
In Exodus 2:3, Moses’ mother placed the ark containing him among the flags beside the river. Exodus 2:5 also mentions the flags when Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the ark.
Job 8:11 refers to a flag growing where there is water. The Hebrew word used there differs from suph, the word associated with the flags in Exodus 2:3 and 2:5. Isaiah 19:6 mentions reeds and flags in a description of Egypt’s waters drying up.
Key References
- Exodus 2:3 — Moses was placed in an ark among the flags beside the river.
- Exodus 2:5 — Pharaoh’s daughter saw the ark among the flags.
- Job 8:11 — The flag is mentioned as a plant that cannot grow without water.
- Isaiah 19:6 — Reeds and flags are mentioned in the description of Egypt’s waters drying up.
Related Terms
- Bulrushes — Reeds used to make the ark in which Moses was placed.
- Nile River — The river beside which Moses was placed among the flags.