Brewer's: Reed

A broken reed. Something not to be trusted for support. Egypt is called a broken reed, to which Hezekiah could not trust if the Assyrians made war on Jerusalem, “which broken reed if a man leans on, it will go into his hand and pierce it.” Reed walking sticks are referred to.

A bruised reed,
in Bible language, means a believer weak in grace. A bruised reed [God] will not break.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Related Content