### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **bitstsâh**, represented by `{{H1207}}`, refers to a **swamp**, **fen**, or **mire(-ry place)**. As an intensive form, it signifies a thoroughly wet and marshy area. This term is rare, appearing just **3 times** across **3 unique verses**, yet it is used in distinct contexts to illustrate both natural environments and spiritual conditions.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its biblical usage, `{{H1207}}` describes environments that are either life-sustaining or hopelessly barren. In the book of Job, it is presented as a necessary habitat. A question is posed: "Can the rush grow up without **mire**?" [[Job 8:11]], highlighting the swampy ground's essential role in the growth of specific plants. The term also depicts a place of natural shelter, where a great creature lies hidden "in the covert of the reed, and **fens**" [[Job 40:21]]. In contrast, the prophet Ezekiel uses the word symbolically to describe areas that resist divine restoration. In a vision of a healing river, the **miry places** are an exception, as they "shall not be healed" but are instead "given to salt" [[Ezekiel 47:11]], representing perpetual barrenness.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the meaning and context of `{{H1207}}`:
* `{{H1360}}` **gebeʼ** (a reservoir; by analogy, a marsh): This word appears alongside `{{H1207}}` in [[Ezekiel 47:11]], where "miry places" and "marishes" are both destined for salt. It reinforces the image of a waterlogged, swampy area.
* `{{H1573}}` **gômeʼ** (the bulrush; specifically the papyrus): This is the "rush" mentioned in [[Job 8:11]] that requires mire to grow. Its dependence on the environment described by `{{H1207}}` establishes the mire as a source of life for marsh vegetation.
* `{{H4417}}` **melach** (salt): In [[Ezekiel 47:11]], the unhealed miry places are given to "salt". This substance symbolizes sterility and desolation, creating a stark contrast to the life-giving properties of the mire seen elsewhere.
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{H1207}}` is rooted in its contrasting depictions of natural life and spiritual death.
* **Foundation for Life:** In its natural context, the mire represents a specific type of created environment that is necessary for certain forms of life to flourish, as seen with the rush that cannot "grow up" `{{H1342}}` without it [[Job 8:11]].
* **Symbol of Irreparable Barrenness:** The most potent theological use appears in Ezekiel's prophecy. The miry places that "shall not be healed" `{{H7495}}` serve as a powerful metaphor for a condition or people so resistant to God's restorative power that they remain in a state of unfruitfulness and judgment [[Ezekiel 47:11]].
* **Wilderness and Seclusion:** The use of "fens" as a hiding place for a mighty beast in [[Job 40:21]] illustrates a wild, untamed aspect of creation, a place of natural covert outside of human dominion.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1207}}` is a specific and infrequently used term that carries significant weight in its few appearances. While it literally denotes a swamp or fen, its meaning shifts with its context. It can be a place essential for the growth of life, a remote and wild habitat, or a powerful symbol for a spiritual state that resists healing and remains desolate and barren.
TRV