Paper: The expression in the Authorized Version
(Isaiah 19:7) "the paper reeds by
the brooks," is in the Revised Version more correctly "the meadows by
the Nile." The words undoubtedly refer to a grassy place on the banks
of the Nile fit for pasturage. In
(2 John 1:12) the word is used in its
proper sense. The material so referred to was manufactured from the
papyrus, and hence its name. The papyrus (Heb. gome) was a kind of
bulrush (q.v.). It is mentioned by Job
(Job 8:11) and Isaiah
(Isaiah 35:7) It was used for many purposes. This plant (Papyrus
Nilotica) is now unknown in Egypt; no trace of it can be found. The
unaccountable disappearance of this plant from Egypt was foretold by
Isaiah
(Isaiah 19:6,7) as a part of the divine judgment on that land.
The most extensive papyrus growths now known are in the marshes at the
northern end of the lake of Merom.
