חוּשִׁים
𐤇𐤅𐤔𐤉𐤌
Chushim
H2366 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name, occurring for three different individuals in the Hebrew Bible. Refers to (1) a descendant of Dan, (2) a descendant of Benjamin, and (3) a later post-exilic name. Not a descriptive noun but a theophoric or possibly descriptive personal name, likely based on the root sense "to hurry" or "to hasten." Used exclusively as a personal or clan name in the biblical record.
Semantic Range
personal name, clan designation, patronymic, possibly 'descendants of Hushim'; by root, to hasten or be quick (not attested in this form as a descriptive noun)
Root / Etymology
From the root חוּשׁ (to hasten, hurry, act quickly). The form חוּשִׁים (or חֻשִׁים, חֻשִׁם) is a plural or patronymic, possibly meaning 'descendants of Hushim' or 'members of the Hushim family/clan.' Root meaning relates to being quick or acting with haste, but as a personal name, the lexical sense is not literal.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חושׁים is attested as the name of two different Israelite individuals in Genesis 46:23 (a son of Dan) and Genesis 46:21 (likely a Benjamite, possibly as an ancestral or clan designation), as well as in postexilic genealogies (Ezra 10:33). In these contexts, the term designates a person, descendant, or clan, not a characteristic. Later translations sometimes render the name as 'Hushim' or, anachronistically, as 'Hasters' or 'the Hasters,' but there is no evidence that this was understood as a title or epithet in ancient Israelite society. The plural form may reflect the naming of a family group descended from an ancestor named Hushim. There is no evidence in earlier periods that it denoted a profession or tribal function. The presence of multiple spellings (חוּשִׁים, חֻשִׁים, חֻשִׁם) across manuscripts and traditions does not significantly impact its function as a personal or group name. See also the related singular form, חוּשׁ, 'Hush' (H2365), and the verb חוּשׁ (to hurry, H2363). The English form 'Hushim' reflects the transliteration and is preferable to anglicized substitutions such as 'the Hasters.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or חֻשִׁים; or חֻשִׁם; plural from חוּשׁ; hasters; Chushim, the name of three Israelites; Hushim.
Bantu Hebrew
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חושׁ (ḥ-w-š) — to hasten, to hurry, to act quickly
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2366-01 |
חֻשִֽׁים | chushim | HNp |
Hushim | Hushim clan | 3 |
H2366-02 |
וּ/מֵ/חֻשִׁ֛ים | umechushim | HC/R/Np |
by Hushim | and from Hushim | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2366-01 |
Genesis 46:23 | חֻשִֽׁים | chushim | HNp |
Hushim | Hushim clan |
H2366-01 |
1 Chronicles 7:12 | חֻשִׁ֖ם | chushim | HNp |
Hushim | Hushim clan |
H2366-01 |
1 Chronicles 8:8 | חוּשִׁ֥ים | chushim | HNp |
Hushim | Hushim clan |
H2366-02 |
1 Chronicles 8:11 | וּ/מֵ/חֻשִׁ֛ים | umechushim | HC/R/Np |
by Hushim | and from Hushim |