כּוּשָׁן
𐤊𐤅𐤔𐤍
Kushan
H3572 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun referring to 'Cushan,' likely designating a people or region associated with Cush, especially in the context of Habakkuk 3:7. The term is used as an ethnogeographic designation and, in some ancient sources, may denote Cushite peoples located not in Africa, but south or southeast of Israel, potentially in northwestern Arabia or adjacent to Midianite territory. While the exact geographical referent is contested, it is not a general term but specifically denotes the people or territory called 'Cushan.'
Semantic Range
a designation for the people or territory called Cushan, possibly a region in Arabia; rarely, as a poetic or archaic ethnogeographic term; never used generally for all Cushites or the African Cush
Root / Etymology
From the root כּוּשׁ (Kush), which refers to the region or people of Cush. The form כּוּשָׁן (Kûwshān) is likely a lengthened or augmented form of כּוּשׁ, perhaps indicating 'Cushite' or 'land/people of Cush.' The suffix -ān may serve as a gentilic or regional marker. Exact morphological derivation is debated; some consider it a poetic or archaic variant.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term כּוּשָׁן appears only in Habakkuk 3:7, in parallel with Midian, suggesting an association with peoples or regions southeast of Israel—in the Arabian Peninsula or Transjordan, not Africa proper. In biblical usage, כּוּשׁ (Cush) often refers to the Upper Nile region (Nubia), but כּוּשָׁן seems to denote a different locale, likely east or southeast of the Israelite territory. The term is distinct from the ethnonym or geographic name כּוּשׁ but related; it should not be conflated with the later English 'Cushite' or 'Ethiopian,' which carry later geographic and cultural connotations. Ancient interpreters, including some Greek translators, understood כּוּשָׁן as related to Arabia. The parallelism with Midian in Habakkuk supports this; thus, it is most likely a poetic or archaic designation for an Arabian or Transjordanian Cushite people or territory known in the Israelite period. Later traditions sometimes equated Cushan with Ethiopia, though this reflects later interpretive developments and not the likely biblical sense.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
perhaps from כּוּשׁ; Cushan, a region of Arabia; Cushan.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כושׁ (k-w-sh) — to be black, Cush, Cushite
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3568 | כּוּשׁ | in Kush |
| H3570 | כּוּשִׁי | Cushite man |
| H3571 | כּוּשִׁית | the Kushite woman |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3572-01 |
כוּשָׁ֑ן | khushan | HNp |
Cushan | Cushan | Kushan | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3572-01 |
Habakkuk 3:7 | כוּשָׁ֑ן | khushan | HNp |
Cushan | Cushan | Kushan |