Sedge is a term used to describe a group of grass-like plants that typically grow in wet ground or marshy areas. In the context of the Bible, sedge is often associated with the lush, fertile regions of Egypt and the Nile Delta, where such plants are abundant. The Hebrew word often translated as "sedge" is "gome," which can also refer to bulrushes or papyrus, plants that are closely related and share similar habitats.

Biblical References:

1. Exodus 2:3 · The account of Moses being placed in a basket among the reeds by the riverbank is a well-known biblical account involving sedge-like plants. The Berean Standard Bible states: "But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile." Here, the "reeds" are indicative of the sedge and similar plants that grow along the Nile, providing a natural hiding place for the infant Moses.

2. Isaiah 19:6-7 · This passage describes the desolation that will come upon Egypt, affecting its natural resources, including the sedge. The BSB reads: "The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither. The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the sown land along the Nile will wither, blow away, and be no more." The mention of reeds and rushes highlights the importance of these plants in the Egyptian ecosystem and their vulnerability to divine judgment.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Egypt, sedge and related plants like papyrus were of significant economic and cultural importance. Papyrus, in particular, was used for making paper, boats, mats, and other essential items. The presence of sedge in biblical narratives often symbolizes the fertility and prosperity of Egypt, as well as its reliance on the Nile River.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

From a theological perspective, sedge can symbolize both the providence of God and the fragility of human reliance on natural resources. In the account of Moses, the sedge provides a means of protection and deliverance, illustrating God's provision and care. Conversely, in Isaiah's prophecy, the withering of the sedge signifies the judgment and desolation that come from turning away from God.

Conclusion:

Sedge, as referenced in the Bible, serves as a reminder of the intricate relationship between humanity, nature, and the divine. It underscores the themes of provision, judgment, and the transient nature of earthly resources, encouraging believers to place their trust in God's eternal promises rather than in the temporary comforts of the world.1. (n.) Any plant of the genus Carex, perennial, endogenous herbs, often growing in dense tufts in marshy places. They have triangular jointless stems, a spiked inflorescence, and long grasslike leaves which are usually rough on the margins and midrib. There are several hundred species.

2. (n.) A flock of herons.

The Way to the Sea
... In another moment he came upon the old sea bed. It was sandy, sedge-grown, with
here and there a palm, and tremendously trampled. Israel had passed this way. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xliv the way to.htm

Dawn in the Hills
... All about it flourished the young growth of the rough sedge grass, green as emerald.
The spot was treeless and marked with broad low hummocks of new sod. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter vi dawn in the.htm

The Prince Returns
... Urge, the sheep-dog, rushed the sheep out of the sedge and hurried them after his
master, and in an hour Joseph was once more settled, his sheep were once more ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xii the prince returns.htm

How Moses Made War with the Ethiopians.
... them a mischief,] Moses invented a wonderful stratagem to preserve the army safe,
and without hurt; for he made baskets, like unto arks, of sedge, and filled ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 10 how moses made.htm

The Husbandman and his Operations
... principles; Threshing, which is effected by tribulation, a word which means
driving a 'tribulum' or threshing-sedge over ears of grain. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the husbandman and his operations.htm

The Margin of the Nile
... smoothed out the fiber, put it twice, thrice about the sheaf and knotted it, her
fingers, cool and moist after their contact with the marsh sedge, touching the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xiv the margin of.htm

Imperial Caesar
... His scamper of sheep flocked into the sedge, parting around the prostrate figure
by a circle of coals now dead, and plunged into the pasture. ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter vii imperial caesar.htm

The Treasure Cave
... surprised. He had covered his boat well with the tangle of sedge and
marsh-vines, and after a long space of search, he found it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

The Bishop Elect and Consecrate
... After some chase they caught him in the sedge, and brought him in, the picture of
unhappiness, with drooping head and trailing wing, before the bishop. ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter iv the bishop elect.htm

On the Way to Thebes
... Throughout great lengths of shore-line the tuneless stridulation of frogs, the guttural
cries of water-birds and the general movement in the sedge indicated a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxi on the way.htm

Sedge (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Sedge (2 Occurrences). ... And she saw the ark in the midst
of the sedge, and sent her handmaid and fetched it. (DBY). ...
/s/sedge.htm - 7k

Bulrushes (3 Occurrences)
... In this case it was mixed with bitumen. Flags (cuph, "sedge") were reeds of every
kind and tall grass growing in the shallow water at the edge of the river. ...
/b/bulrushes.htm - 10k

Ark (212 Occurrences)
... In this case it was mixed with bitumen. Flags (cuph, "sedge") were reeds of every
kind and tall grass growing in the shallow water at the edge of the river. ...
/a/ark.htm - 84k

Moses (9295 Occurrences)
... with the sticky slime of the river, placed in this floating vessel the child of
her love and faith, and put it into the river at a place among the sedge in the ...
/m/moses.htm - 53k

Kine (24 Occurrences)
... parah, ie, "fruitful"), mentioned in Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:18). Here the word
denotes "buffaloes," which fed on the reeds and sedge by the river's brink. ...
/k/kine.htm - 16k

Grub (2 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To dig; to dig up by the roots; to root out by digging; -- followed by up;
as, to grub up trees, rushes, or sedge. 4. (vt) To supply with food. ...
/g/grub.htm - 7k

Fen (1 Occurrence)
... (n.) Low land overflowed, or covered wholly or partially with water, but producing
sedge, coarse grasses, or other aquatic plants; boggy land; moor; marsh. ...
/f/fen.htm - 6k

Fetched (26 Occurrences)
... by the river's side. And she saw the ark in the midst of the sedge, and
sent her handmaid and fetched it. (DBY). Joshua 15:3 And ...
/f/fetched.htm - 14k

Flag (30 Occurrences)
... with _yam; as yam suph, to denote the "Red Sea" (qv) or the sea of weeds (as this
word is rendered, Jonah 2:5). It denotes some kind of sedge or reed which ...
/f/flag.htm - 18k

Rush (35 Occurrences)
... The word doubtless includes not only the rushes-of which there are several kinds
in Palestine-but also members of the sedge family, the Cyperaceae. ...
/r/rush.htm - 20k

Sedge: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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