'Stems' in the Bible

And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.

Give these men no more dry stems for their brick-making as you have been doing; let them go and get the material for themselves.

And the overseers of the people and their responsible men went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will give you no more dry stems.

Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.

So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.

And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.

They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.

Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.