In biblical contexts, the term "flag" typically refers to a type of plant rather than a banner or standard as understood in modern times. The Hebrew word often translated as "flag" is "gome," which is generally understood to refer to marsh plants, particularly those found in the Nile region. These plants are characterized by their reed-like appearance and are often associated with wetlands or riverbanks.

Biblical References:

1. Exodus 2:3-5 : The most notable mention of flags in the Bible is found in the account of Moses' infancy. "But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe at the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it." In this passage, the "reeds" among which Moses was placed are often understood to be the "flags" or marsh plants of the Nile.

2. Job 8:11 : "Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?" Here, the rhetorical questions posed by Bildad the Shuhite highlight the dependency of marsh plants, including flags, on water. This imagery underscores the theme of reliance on God for sustenance and life.

3. Isaiah 19:6 : "The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither." This prophecy against Egypt uses the imagery of withering reeds and rushes, which are akin to flags, to symbolize the desolation and judgment that will come upon the land.

Cultural and Symbolic Significance:

In the ancient Near East, flags or reeds were a common sight along riverbanks and in marshy areas. They were often used for practical purposes, such as making baskets, mats, and even small boats, as seen in the account of Moses. The presence of these plants was indicative of fertile and well-watered land, making them a symbol of life and sustenance.

Theologically, the imagery of flags and reeds in Scripture often serves to illustrate themes of vulnerability and dependence. Just as reeds require water to thrive, so too do humans require the sustaining presence of God. The withering of reeds, as depicted in Isaiah, serves as a metaphor for divine judgment and the consequences of turning away from God.

Conclusion:

The biblical references to flags, while primarily botanical, carry rich symbolic meaning. They remind readers of the importance of reliance on God for life and sustenance, and they serve as a poignant metaphor for the consequences of spiritual desolation.(Hebrews, or rather Egyptian, ahu, Job 8:11), rendered "meadow" in Genesis 41:2, 18; probably the Cyperus esculentus, a species of rush eaten by cattle, the Nile reed. It also grows in Palestine.

In Exodus 2:3, 5, Isaiah 19:6, it is the rendering of the Hebrew suph_, a word which occurs frequently in connection with _yam; as yam suph, to denote the "Red Sea" (q.v.) or the sea of weeds (as this word is rendered, Jonah 2:5). It denotes some kind of sedge or reed which grows in marshy places. (see PAPER, REED.)

1. (v. i.) To hang loose without stiffness; to bend down, as flexible bodies; to be loose, yielding, limp.

2. (v. i.) To droop; to grow spiritless; to lose vigor; to languish; as, the spirits flag; the strength flags.

3. (v. t.) To let droop; to suffer to fall, or let fall, into feebleness; as, to flag the wings.

4. (v. t.) To enervate; to exhaust the vigor or elasticity of.

5. (n.) That which flags or hangs down loosely.

6. (n.) A cloth usually bearing a device or devices and used to indicate nationality, party, etc., or to give or ask information; -- commonly attached to a staff to be waved by the wind; a standard; a banner; an ensign; the colors; as, the national flag; a military or a naval flag.

7. (n.) A group of feathers on the lower part of the legs of certain hawks, owls, etc.

8. (n.) A group of elongated wing feathers in certain hawks.

9. (n.) The bushy tail of a dog, as of a setter.

10. (v. t.) To signal to with a flag; as, to flag a train.

11. (v. t.) To convey, as a message, by means of flag signals; as, to flag an order to troops or vessels at a distance.

12. (n.) An aquatic plant, with long, ensiform leaves, belonging to either of the genera Iris and Acorus.

13. (v. t.) To furnish or deck out with flags.

14. (n.) A flat stone used for paving.

15. (n.) Any hard, evenly stratified sandstone, which splits into layers suitable for flagstones.

16. (v. t.) To lay with flags of flat stones.

FLAG

Two Hebrew words:

(1) cuph (Exodus 2:3, 1, "flags"; Isaiah 19:6, "flags"; Jonah 2:5, "weeds"). This is apparently a general name which includes both the fresh-water weeds growing along a river bank and "seaweeds." The Red Sea was known as Yam cuph.

(2) 'achu (Genesis 41:2, 18, the King James Version "meadow," the Revised Version (British and American) "reed-grass"; Job 8:11, "Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag (margin "reed-grass") grow without water?"). Some such general term as "sedges" or "fens" would better meet the requirements.

2909. kreitton -- better
... of 2904 , "dominion") -- what is because more fully developed, ie in (mastery,
dominance); "" after exerting the needed to "plant down God's flag of victory.". ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2909.htm - 7k

4979. schoinion -- a rope (made of rushes)
... small cord, rope. Diminutive of schoinos (a rush or flag-plant; of uncertain
derivation); a rushlet, ie Grass-withe or tie (generally) -- small cord, rope. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4979.htm - 6k

8650. toren -- a mast
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition a mast NASB Word Usage flag (1),
mast (2). ... Probably for 'oren; a pole (as a mast or flag-staff) -- beacon, mast. ...
/hebrew/8650.htm - 6k

5488. suph -- reeds, rushes
... flag, Red sea, weed. Probably of Egyptian origin; a reed, especially the papyrus --
flag, Red (sea), weed. Compare Cuwph. see HEBREW Cuwph. 5487, 5488. ...
/hebrew/5488.htm - 6k

260. achu -- reeds, rushes
... flag, meadow. Of uncertain (perhaps Egyptian) derivation; a bulrush or any marshy
grass (particularly that along the Nile) -- flag, meadow. 259, 260. ...
/hebrew/260.htm - 6k

226. oth -- a sign
... Probably from 'uwth (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively),
as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc. ...
/hebrew/226.htm - 6k

5251. nes -- a standard, ensign, signal, sign
... From nacac; a flag; also a sail; by implication, a flagstaff; generally a signal;
figuratively, a token -- banner, pole, sail, (en-)sign, standard. ...
/hebrew/5251.htm - 6k

5264. nasas -- perhaps to be high or conspicuous
... from afar, ie To be conspicuous as a signal; or rather perhaps a denominative from
nec (and identical with nacac, through the idea of a flag as fluttering in ...
/hebrew/5264.htm - 6k

1714. degel -- a standard, banner
... standards (3). banner, standard. From dagal; a flag -- banner, standard. see
HEBREW dagal. 1713b, 1714. degel. 1715 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1714.htm - 6k

1713. dagal -- to look, behold
... set up, with banners, chiefest A primitive root; to flaunt, ie Raise a flag;
figuratively, to be conspicuous -- (set up, with) banners, chiefest. 1712, 1713. ...
/hebrew/1713.htm - 5k

The Flag of the World
... V. THE FLAG OF THE WORLD. ... He has fought for the flag, and often won heroic
victories for the flag long before he has ever enlisted. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/v the flag of the.htm

The Fort Sumter Expedition
... won the victory and that the defeat of the Confederacy was at hand, President Lincoln
decided to celebrate the event by replacing the same old flag that had ...
/.../griswold/sixty years with plymouth church/the fort sumter expedition.htm

Light at Evening Time
... every tempest has been mitigated; a sweet calm has followed each perilous swell
of the ocean, and the good old ship has kept afloat England's flag"we fondly ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/light at evening time.htm

Omar and the Sacred vine
... He enjoys it for the woman's sake, or his own sake. The warrior enjoys the moment,
but not for the sake of the moment; he enjoys it for the sake of the flag. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/vii omar and the sacred.htm

He is Our Peace.
... And then the Spanish flag was seen to drop from the merchantman's masthead
in token of surrender. Then this was the method of procedure. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/he is our peace.htm

The Christian Army
... In the Christian army there are old and young, rich and poor, wise and simple, all
under the one flag,"the banner of the Cross; all under the one Captain ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/the christian army.htm

A Dialogue with God
... the broken bridge, and will crash down the gulph and be huddled, a hideous ruin,
on the rocks; surely it is care for life that holds out the red flag of danger ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/a dialogue with god 2.htm

Condemned to be Shot.
... few moments the man would be shot and put in that grave and covered up, when who
should rise up but the American Consul, who took the American flag and wrapped ...
/.../moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/condemned to be shot.htm

"Free. "
... into Canada; if I could only get under the Union Jack I would be free." There are
no slaves under the Union Jack he has been told"that is the flag of freedom ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/free.htm

August the First God as Our Ally!
... Which of the causes provides a tent for the Lord of Hosts? Where has the truth its
waving flag? Stand near that flag, my soul, and thou wilt be near thy Lord! ...
/.../jowett/my daily meditation for the circling year/august the first god as.htm

Flag (30 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To droop; to grow spiritless; to lose vigor; to languish; as, the
spirits flag; the strength flags. 3. (vt) To let droop ...
/f/flag.htm - 18k

Banner (20 Occurrences)
... (1.) The flag or banner of the larger kind, serving for three tribes marching together. ...
(2.) The flag borne by each separate tribe, of a smaller form. ...
/b/banner.htm - 18k

Union (24 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) A device emblematic of union, used on a national flag or ensign, sometimes,
as in the military standard of Great Britain, covering the whole field ...
/u/union.htm - 15k

Ensign (21 Occurrences)
... (2.) Hebrews nes, a lofty signal, as a column or high pole (Numbers 21:8, 9); a
standard or signal or flag placed on high mountains to point out to the people ...
/e/ensign.htm - 15k

Standard (42 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A flag; colors; a banner; especially, a
national or other ensign. 2. (n.) That which is established ...
/s/standard.htm - 21k

Fly (33 Occurrences)
... 3. (vi) To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag. ... 7. (vt) To cause
to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc. ...
/f/fly.htm - 26k

Flagon (4 Occurrences)
...flag'-un: The translation of 'ashishah, in the King James Version in 2 Samuel
6:19 1 Chronicles 16:3 Songs 2:5 Hosea 3:1. In all, these passages the Revised ...
/f/flagon.htm - 10k

Flagstaff (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) A staff on which a flag is hoisted.
Multi-Version Concordance Flagstaff (1 Occurrence). Isaiah 30:17 ...
/f/flagstaff.htm - 6k

Pole (21 Occurrences)
... carriage is guided and held back. (b) A flag pole, a pole on which a flag
is supported. (c) A Maypole. 3. (n.) A measuring stick ...
/p/pole.htm - 15k

Beckon (4 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 13:2 Put up a flag on a clear mountain-top, make a loud outcry to them, give
directions with the hand, so that they may go into the doors of the great ...
/b/beckon.htm - 8k

What is the Christian flag, and what does it symbolize? | GotQuestions.org

Should a Christian pledge allegiance to the flag? | GotQuestions.org

What is the origin of the peace sign? | GotQuestions.org

Flag: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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