בֹּץ (bots)
bots
mire
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun bots refers to a muddy, slippery place, often described as mire or clay. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears only once, in Jeremiah 38:22, where it describes the condition of the cistern into which the prophet Jeremiah was lowered by his enemies.
This single usage paints a vivid picture of physical distress and danger. The word conveys not just wet earth, but deep, sucking mud that threatens to trap and suffocate. It serves as a concrete image for the helplessness and despair experienced by those who are cast down into such pits.
Translators typically render bots as "mire" or "clay," preserving the sense of being stuck in a difficult situation. The rarity of the word highlights the specific severity of Jeremiah's predicament, emphasizing the depth of his suffering and the urgency of his deliverance.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word bots describes a thick, sucking mud that traps those who fall into it. In Jeremiah 38:22, this image captures the prophet’s despair as he is lowered into a cistern filled with mire. It is not just wet earth, but a dangerous pit where escape seems impossible.
When life feels like a deep mire, we often feel stuck and helpless. This word reminds us that such feelings are real and heavy. Yet, even in the darkest pits, God sees our struggle. We do not have to climb out alone.
May you find peace knowing that help is near, even when the ground beneath you feels unstable. Trust in the One who lifts us from the depths of despair.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in the/ mire1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בַ/בֹּ֛ץ1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 38:22
‘Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house will be brought out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women will say, “Your familiar friends have turned on you, and have prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned away from you.”
This verse uses bots to describe the physical mire in the cistern, symbolizing Jeremiah's helplessness and the betrayal by his friends.