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reÌ„d: (1) ×חוּ, 'aÌ„hÌ£uÌ„, translated “reed-grass†(, ; margin). See FLAG. (2) ×בה, 'eÌ„bheh, translated “swift,†margin “reed†(). The “ships of reed†are the light skiffs made of plaited reeds used on the Nile; compare “vessels of papyrus†(). (3) ×גמּי×, 'ăghammı̄m, translated “reeds,†margin “marshes,†Hebrew “pools†(); elsewhere “pools†(; ; , etc.). See POOLS. (4) ערות, ‛aÌ„roÌ„th; ἀÌχι, aÌchi, translated “meadows,†the King James Version “paper reeds†(). See MEADOWS. (5) ×§× ×”, kÌ£aÌ„neh; καÌλαμος, kaÌlamos (the English “cane†comes from Hebrew via Latin and Greek canna), “stalk†(, ); “shaft†(, etc.); “reed,†or “reeds†(; ; ; ; , the King James Version “spearmanâ€); “calamus†(; ; ); “sweet cane,†margin “calamus†(; ); “bone†(); used of the cross-beam of a “balance†(); “a measuring reed†(); “a staff of reed,†i.e. a walking-stick (; ); the “branches†of a candlestick (). (6) καÌλαμος, kaÌlamos, “a reed shaken with the wind†(; ); “a bruised reed†(); they put “a reed in his right hand†(, ); “They smote his head with a reed†(); “put it on a reed†(; ); “a measuring reed†(; , ); “a pen†().
It is clear that ḳāneh and its Greek equivalent kalamos mean many things. Some refer to different uses to which a reed is put, e.g. a cross-beam of a balance, a walking-stick, a measuring rod, and a pen (see above), but apart from this ḳāneh is a word used for at least two essentially different things: (1) an ordinary reed, and (2) some sweet-smelling substance.
(1) The most common reed in Palestine is the Arundo donax (Natural Order Gramineae), known in Arabic as ḳaṣabfarasi, “Persian reed.†It grows in immense quantities in the Jordan valley along the river and its tributaries and at the oases near the Dead Sea, notably around ‛Ain Feshkhah at the northwest corner. It is a lofty reed, often 20 ft. high, of a beautiful fresh green in summer when all else is dead and dry, and of a fine appearance from a distance in the spring months when it is in full bloom and the beautiful silky panicles crown the top of every reed. The “covert of the reed†() shelters a large amount of animal and bird life. This reed will answer to almost all the requirements of the above references.
(2) KÌ£aÌ„neh is in qualified הטּוב ×§× ×”, kÌ£aÌ„neh ha-tÌ£oÌ„bh, “sweet†or “pleasant cane,†and in , ×‘×©×‚× ×§× ×”, kÌ£eneÌ„h bhoÌ„sem, “sweet calamus,†or, better, a “cane of fragrance.†; ; all apparently refer to the same thing, though in these passages the kÌ£aÌ„neh is unqualified. It was an ingredient of the holy oil (); it was imported from a distance (; ), and it was rare and costly (). It may have been the “scented calamus†(Axorus calamus) of Pliny (NH, xii. 48), or some other aromatic scented reed or flag, or, as some think, some kind of aromatic bark. The sweetness refers to the scent, not the taste. See also BULRUSH; PAPYRUS.