סוּף
𐤎𐤅𐤐
çûwph
H5488 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A reed or rush, especially aquatic plants growing in or near bodies of water, with emphasis on marsh reeds such as papyrus. In the Hebrew Bible, סוּף refers to water plants along the Nile, in marshy habitats, and at the edge of lakes, notably specifying the vegetation along the 'Sea of Reeds' (יָם-סוּף), not necessarily the Red Sea known today. The term may also serve in combination with יָם to denote the 'Reed Sea', indicating a water body characterized by the presence of reeds.
Semantic Range
reed, rush, papyrus, marsh plant, aquatic plant near water's edge; sometimes as an element in toponyms ('Sea of Reeds')
Root / Etymology
The noun סוּף is possibly a loanword from Egyptian, related to Egyptian tjuf, t’f (‘reed,’ ‘papyrus’). The Hebrew root is uncertain and may not be native to Northwest Semitic. In Hebrew, the word came to describe marshy reeds, especially those of papyrus kind.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The primary sense in biblical Hebrew is of marsh or riverine reeds, with papyrus being the most well-known but not the only species intended. סוּף appears in passages regarding the bulrushes of the Nile where Moses was placed (Exodus 2:3,5), the vegetation that marks waters' edge, and as the geographical marker of the Israelites’ escape route from Egypt (יָם-סוּף). The rendering of יָם-סוּף as 'Red Sea' in later tradition is a mistranslation; the Hebrew original points to a body of water characterized by reeds, probably in the Nile Delta or around the Bitter Lakes, not the Red Sea as known today. The Septuagint sometimes translated the term according to similar Greek concepts (τά καλάμια), but often as Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα (‘Red Sea’), which later informed English translations. Thereby, the main differences in usage hinge on period, context, and the interaction with Egyptian terrain and terminology. Related terms include אָחוּ (marsh grass/reed) and גֹּמֶא (papyrus reed), but סוּף is the broader, default term for 'reed' in Egyptian-context narratives.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably of Egyptian origin; a reed, especially the papyrus; flag, Red (sea), weed. Compare סוּף.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1002 | בִּירָה | the citadel |
| H105 | אֲגַרְטָל | bowls of |
| H1081 | בַּלְאֲדָן | Baladan |
| H1085 | בִּלְדַּד | Bildad |
| H1095 | בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר | Belteshatsar |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5488-03 |
ס֖וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed | 25 |
H5488-01 |
בַּ/סּ֖וּף | basuf | HRd/Ncmsa |
among the reeds | in the reed | in the reed | 1 |
H5488-02 |
הַ/סּ֔וּף | hasuf | HTd/Ncmsa |
the reeds | the marsh-reed | the marsh-reed | 1 |
H5488-04 |
וָ/ס֖וּף | vasuf | HC/Ncmsa |
and rush | and reed | and rush | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
28 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5488-01 |
Exodus 2:3 | בַּ/סּ֖וּף | basuf | HRd/Ncmsa |
among the reeds | in the reed | in the reed |
H5488-02 |
Exodus 2:5 | הַ/סּ֔וּף | hasuf | HTd/Ncmsa |
the reeds | the marsh-reed | the marsh-reed |
H5488-03 |
Exodus 10:19 | סּ֑וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Exodus 13:18 | ס֑וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of [Re]ed | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Exodus 15:4 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of reeds |
H5488-03 |
Exodus 15:22 | ס֔וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Exodus 23:31 | סוּף֙ | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of reeds |
H5488-03 |
Numbers 14:25 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of-Reeds | reed | of reeds |
H5488-03 |
Numbers 21:4 | ס֔וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of reeds |
H5488-03 |
Numbers 33:10 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reed | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Numbers 33:11 | ס֑וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Deuteronomy 1:40 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Deuteronomy 2:1 | ס֔וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Suf | reed | Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Deuteronomy 11:4 | סוּף֙ | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Joshua 2:10 | סוּף֙ | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Joshua 4:23 | ס֛וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Joshua 24:6 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of-Reed | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Judges 11:16 | ס֔וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
1 Kings 9:26 | ס֖וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of-Reed | reed | Reed |
H5488-04 |
Isaiah 19:6 | וָ/ס֖וּף | vasuf | HC/Ncmsa |
and rush | and reed | and rush |
H5488-03 |
Jeremiah 49:21 | ס֖וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Jonah 2:6 | ס֖וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
weeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Psalms 106:7 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | reed |
H5488-03 |
Psalms 106:9 | ס֭וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
Sea-of-Reeds | reed | Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Psalms 106:22 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Psalms 136:13 | ס֭וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of-Reeds | reed | reeds |
H5488-03 |
Psalms 136:15 | ס֑וּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of Reeds | reed | of Reeds |
H5488-03 |
Nehemiah 9:9 | סֽוּף | suf | HNcmsa |
of-Reed | reed | reed |