כּוּשׁ
𐤊𐤅𐤔
Kush
H3568 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun referring primarily to (1) a figure named Cush, son of Ham, in biblical genealogies; and (2) the region, people, and polity traditionally south of Egypt, known from antiquity as Kush or Cush. In narrative and poetic passages, 'Cush' designates both a person (ancestor of certain peoples) and a region or kingdom, typically located along the Upper Nile, corresponding broadly to ancient Nubia. The term can refer to the people of this region (Cushites) as a collective. In one instance, it designates an individual Israelite named Cush.
Semantic Range
(1) ancestor-figure (son of Ham); (2) name of region/kingdom south of Egypt (ancient Nubia/Kush); (3) inhabitants/peoples of that region; (4) personal name of an Israelite (rare instance).
Root / Etymology
uncertain. The name כּוּשׁ is commonly recognized as foreign in origin and is paralleled in Egyptian sources as 'Kash' or 'Kush,' referring to the Nubian region south of Egypt. The Hebrew word is not derived from a known Semitic root; it is a loanword associated with the toponym and ethonym for this ancient kingdom and its inhabitants.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical texts, כּוּשׁ primarily appears as a proper noun denoting a geographical region south of Egypt—ancient Nubia, extending into the modern territories of Sudan and parts of Ethiopia. This region was known to Egyptians as 'Kash' or 'Kush.' In genealogical texts (e.g., Genesis 10:6), Cush is identified as a son of Ham and ancestor of various peoples. The term is used in both literal geographical as well as figurative contexts (e.g., poetic references to distant or exotic lands and peoples; see Isaiah 18:1). While most English translations render כּוּשׁ as 'Ethiopia,' this reflects the older Greek and Latin tradition (Aithiopia, etc.), which often conflated Nubian and Ethiopian regions. This translation may obscure the actual historical referent, which corresponds more accurately to ancient Nubia rather than the territory of modern Ethiopia. A single Israelite named Cush is mentioned in Psalm 7:1, distinguished from the usual ethnic/geographic sense. No clear evidence associates the term with religious or cultural practices; its usage is primarily ethnogeographical. Later Jewish and Christian traditions increasingly associated 'Cush' with Ethiopia, further contributing to the term's semantic shift in post-biblical writings and translations.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably of foreign origin; Cush (or Ethiopia), the name of a son of Ham, and of his territory; also of an Israelite; Chush, Cush, Ethiopia.
Bantu Hebrew
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כוש (k-w-š) — proper name designating Kush/Nubia (person, land, people)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3569 | כּוּשִׁי | the Cushite |
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3568-03 |
כּֽוּשׁ | kush | HNp |
Cush | Kush | 20 |
H3568-02 |
כ֔וּשׁ | khush | HNp |
Cush | Kush | 5 |
H3568-06 |
וְ/כ֖וּשׁ | vekhush | HC/Np |
And Cush | and Cush | 2 |
H3568-05 |
וּ/מִ/כּ֗וּשׁ | umikush | HC/R/Np |
and from Cush | and from Kush | 1 |
H3568-01 |
בְּ/כ֔וּשׁ | bekhush | HR/Np |
in Cush | in Kush | 1 |
H3568-04 |
מִ/כּוּשׁ֙ | mikush | HR/Np |
because of Cush | from Cush | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
30 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3568-03 |
Genesis 2:13 | כּֽוּשׁ | kush | HNp |
of Cush | Kush |
H3568-03 |
Genesis 10:6 | כּ֥וּשׁ | kush | HNp |
Cush | Kush |
H3568-02 |
Genesis 10:7 | כ֔וּשׁ | khush | HNp |
Cush | Kush |
H3568-06 |
Genesis 10:8 | וְ/כ֖וּשׁ | vekhush | HC/Np |
And Cush | and Cush |
H3568-03 |
2 Kings 19:9 | כּוּשׁ֙ | kush | HNp |
of Cush | Kush |
H3568-05 |
Isaiah 11:11 | וּ/מִ/כּ֗וּשׁ | umikush | HC/R/Np |
and from Cush | and from Kush |
H3568-02 |
Isaiah 18:1 | כֽוּשׁ | khush | HNp |
Cush | Kush |
H3568-03 |
Isaiah 20:3 | כּֽוּשׁ | kush | HNp |
Cush | Kush |
H3568-03 |
Isaiah 20:4 | כּ֛וּשׁ | kush | HNp |
of Cush | Kush |
H3568-04 |
Isaiah 20:5 | מִ/כּוּשׁ֙ | mikush | HR/Np |
because of Cush | from Cush |