What are…
fens
also known as: fenns (Old English)
This word appears once in the book of Job in the King James Version translation. Fens is an old Middle English word meaning areas of low wet land. Today we instead use such words as swamps or marshes.
The original Hebrew word is a noun consisting of 3 letters: בִצָּ֑ה —transliteration: bitstsah —meaning: swamp.
This word occurs 3 times in Scripture:
- Job 40:21 — בִצָּ֑ה — bitstsah — “and the marsh”
- Job 8:11 — בִצָּ֑ה — bissah — “a marsh”
- Ezekiel 47:11 _ בִּצֹּאתָ֧יו — bissotaw — “but its swamps”
The context of Job 40:21 is when God is speaking to the man Job out of a whirlwind in a way that is purposely humbling him. God is pointing out how little Job or any person knows about God’s power and deeds, and He comes to an example involving a very great type of land animal (probably the greatest) that Job is familiar with—the behemoth (an ancient Hebrew name).
He lieth under the shady trees,
in the covert of the reed, and fens. —Job 40:21 KJV
The New King James Version translates bitstsah as “marsh” (Job 40:21 NKJV).
The original Hebrew word for the trees involved here is צֶאֱלִים —transliteration: tseelim or tse'elim. This is the only occurrence of this word in Scripture.
More information
- Archaic or obscure King James era (Middle English) words EXPLAINED
- What is the book of Job?
- What is behemoth?
- Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?
- DINOSAUR ORIGIN—Where did the dinosaurs come from? Answer
- Animals of the Bible
- Trees of the Bible