Original Word: סוּף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cuwph
Pronunciation: soof
Phonetic Spelling: (soof)
KJV: flag, Red (sea), weed
NASB: reeds, rushes, weeds
Word Origin: [probably of Egyptian origin]

1. a reed, especially the papyrus

flag, Red sea, weed

Probably of Egyptian origin; a reed, especially the papyrus -- flag, Red (sea), weed. Compare Cuwph.

see HEBREW Cuwph

Word Origin
probably of foreign origin
Definition
reeds, rushes
NASB Translation
red* (24), reeds (2), rushes (1), weeds (1).

I. סוּף noun masculine^{Jon 2:6} reeds, rushes (collective) (probably loan-word from Egyptian ‰wfi, reeds, Steind^{BAS i. 603} Erman^{ZMG xivi (1892), 122}; Semitic according to WMM^{As. u.Eur.101}); —

1 rushes, in Nile Exodus 2:3,5 (E); קָנֶה וָסוּף Isaiah 19:6 (of Egypt).

2 usually in combination יַםסֿוּף probably = sea of rushes or reeds ( > sea of (city) Suph), which Greek included in wider name θάλασσα Ἐρυθρἀ, Red Sea (compare Di^{Exodus 13:18 and} especially WMM^{As.u.Eur.42f.}, who explains as name originally given to upper end of Gulf of Suez, extending into Bitter Lakes, shallow and marshy, whence reeds (probably also reddish colour)); **compare also Che^{EB RED SEA}. — name applied only to arms of Red Sea; most often

a. to Gulf of Suez Exodus 10:19; Joshua 2:10 (both J), Exodus 13:18; Exodus 15:4,22; Exodus 23:31 (all E), Deuteronomy 11:4; Joshua 4:23 (D), Numbers 33:10,11 (P), elsewhere late Nehemiah 9:9; Psalm 106:7; Psalm 106:9; Psalm 106:22; Psalm 136:13; Psalm 136:15.

b. sometimes to Gulf of Akaba 1 Kings 9:26, and דֶּרֶךְ יַםסֿוּף Numbers 21:4 (E), probably also Numbers 14:25 (E), Deuteronomy 1:40; Deuteronomy 2:1; perhaps Judges 11:16; Jeremiah 49:21; possibly read מִיַּםסֿוּף for ׳מוֺל ס Deuteronomy 1:1 (see infor.).

Overview

סוּף (sûp) occurs about twenty-eight times in the Old Testament, describing either the reedlike plants that flourish in marshy ground or the body of water often rendered “Red Sea.” The two senses are complementary: the plant gives its name to the sea whose shores were rich in reeds. Together they frame key moments in Israel’s history and supply enduring theological truth about deliverance, judgment, and the frailty of human strength.

Botanical usage: reeds and rushes

1. Habitat and appearance
• Job uses the plant to illustrate the brevity of hypocritical prosperity: “Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?” (Job 8:11).
• In the drama of Jonah, the prophet recalls near-drowning: “The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped around my head” (Jonah 2:5). The imagery evokes suffocation and helplessness, amplifying God’s mercy in rescue.
2. Symbolism
• Reeds thrive only when rooted in constant moisture. Their sudden withering when the marsh dries (Job 8:12-13) becomes a picture of the godless whose hope perishes once worldly supports evaporate.
• Conversely, the tender “ark” of bulrushes that protected infant Moses (Exodus 2:3, 5) testifies that even fragile means can serve divine purpose when directed by God.

The Sea of Suf (Red Sea)

1. Instrument of deliverance and judgment
• Exodus 13:18 summarizes the route of liberation: “So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”
• At the climactic crossing, “The waters returned and covered the chariots and horsemen— the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea” (Exodus 14:28). What imprisoned Israel on one shore becomes the very path of escape and the tomb of Egypt’s might.
2. Locus of worship
• Exodus 15 is Israel’s first recorded hymn. Standing on the eastern shore, the nation sings: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea” (Exodus 15:4). The vast reed-lined waters become the backdrop for adoration rooted in historical fact.
3. Boundary marker and travel route
• Numbers 14:25; Deuteronomy 1:40; 2:1 repeatedly direct the generation in the wilderness “toward the Red Sea.”
• Solomon recognized its economic value, building a fleet at Ezion-Geber “beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom” (1 Kings 9:26). Commerce and international influence flowed from the same sea that once swallowed Pharaoh.
4. Eschatological resonances
• Micah evokes a future exodus patterned on the first: “I will show him wonders as in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt” (Micah 7:15). The memory of Suf fuels hope for a final, decisive redemption.

Geographical references

• “Wilderness of Suf” (Deuteronomy 1:1) locates the opening address of Moses east of the Jordan, reminding Israel that their forty-year detour began at the very margin of the sea they had crossed.
• Psalm 106:7, 9 revisits the crossing to confess national sin and to praise covenant faithfulness: “He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.”
• The narrative arc between Egypt and Canaan is framed by Suf: exit (Exodus), wandering (Numbers), recollection (Deuteronomy), hymn (Psalms), and prophetic promise (Micah).

Theological themes

1. Salvation through judgment

The same waters that liberated Israel executed judgment on Egypt. The pattern anticipates the cross, where deliverance for believers and defeat for evil coincide (Colossians 2:15).
2. Baptism and identity

Paul interprets the passage as a corporate baptism: “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2). Crossing Suf signaled the end of bondage and the birth of a covenant community, prefiguring Christian baptism’s break with the old life and entrance into union with Christ.
3. Human fragility versus divine sufficiency

Reeds that wither without water (Job 8) contrast with the sea whose parting required no human ingenuity. Scripture juxtaposes frail plant life with sovereign intervention to magnify God’s power.
4. Memory as motivation

Israel is repeatedly told to remember what happened “at the Red Sea” (Psalm 106:7). Corporate memory shapes obedience, fuels worship, and restrains fear in later crises.

Practical ministry applications

• Deliverance testimony

The crossing provides a template for personal testimony: “Once trapped, now free; once pursued, now protected.” Congregations may use Exodus 15 as a model for celebrating God’s historic and present victories.
• Counseling assurance

Believers facing “Red Sea” moments—circumstances with no human exit—can be pointed to Exodus 14:13: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation.”
• Missions motivation

Solomon’s port on the Red Sea illustrates that redemption is not an end in itself; freed people engage the nations. Evangelistic outreach flows naturally from deliverance.
• Ethical sobriety

Job’s imagery of withering reeds warns against rooting confidence in transient resources. Pastoral exhortation can contrast the shallow stability of worldly security with the abiding faithfulness of God.

Selected references

Exodus 10:19; 13:18; 15:4, 22

Numbers 14:25; 21:4; 33:10

Deuteronomy 1:1, 40; 2:1

1 Kings 9:26

Job 8:11-13

Psalm 106:7, 9, 22

Isaiah 19:6 (drying waterways context)

Jeremiah 49:21 (geopolitical shock echoing sea imagery)

Jonah 2:5

Micah 7:15

Summary

Whether manifest as a fragile stalk or an expansive sea, סוּף highlights the paradox of weakness and power. Reeds teach the emptiness of self-reliance; the Sea of Reeds showcases divine might in history. Remembering Suf strengthens faith, calls to worship, and commissions the redeemed to walk in newness of life.

בַּסּ֖וּף בסוף הַסּ֔וּף הסוף וָס֖וּף וסוף ס֑וּף ס֔וּף ס֖וּף ס֛וּף ס֭וּף סּ֑וּף סֽוּף׃ סוּף֙ סוף סוף׃ bas·sūp̄ basSuf bassūp̄ has·sūp̄ hasSuf hassūp̄ Suf sūp̄ vaSuf wā·sūp̄ wāsūp̄Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts