כּוּשִׁי
𐤊𐤅𐤔𐤉
Kushi
H3570 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An ethnonym designating a person from the region of Cush, situated generally south of Egypt (often identified as Nubia), or someone of Cushite ancestry; also used as a personal name for individuals in biblical contexts. In narrative contexts, the term frequently identifies geographic origin or ancestry, distinct from Israelite lineage. The semantic range includes both the ethnic designation for people from Cush and, secondarily, its use as a personal proper name in the Hebrew Bible.
Semantic Range
person from the land of Cush, person of Cushite descent, foreigner from the region south of Egypt (Nubia), personal proper name in Israelite contexts (rare)
Root / Etymology
From the root כּוּשׁ (Cush), a geographic place-name, with the gentilic ending -ִי (-ī), forming an ethnonym. The root כּוּשׁ by itself refers to a region typically associated with lands to the south of Egypt, likely in Africa, most often Nubia.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, כּוּשִׁי (Kûshî) is primarily used as an ethnic or geographic identifier, denoting someone from the land of Cush or of Cushite descent, rather than as an indicator of color or later racial constructs. Occasionally, it appears as a personal name, such as for messengers in narratives (e.g., 2 Samuel 18:21, where a messenger is referred to as 'the Cushite'), but this may often reflect the individual's origin rather than a personal given name. The term is distinct from Israelite, Judahite, or other biblical ethnonyms and does not carry the later connotations associated with the English term 'Ethiopian' or 'Jew.' Later translations, such as the Septuagint and KJV, often render כּוּשִׁי as 'Ethiopian' or 'Cushite,' but this sometimes blurs the specific ancient geographic sense. In terms of period usage, the term persists throughout the monarchic and post-exilic periods, maintaining its identity as a marker of foreign ancestry, with no significant semantic drift detected across the canonical period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the same as כּוּשִׁי; Cushi, the name of two Israelites; Cushi.
Bantu Hebrew
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כושׁ (k-w-š) — Cush (place name), region south of Egypt, geographic dwelling-place
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3570-01 |
כּוּשִׁי֮ | kushi | HNp |
Cushi | Cushite man | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3570-01 |
Jeremiah 36:14 | כּוּשִׁי֮ | kushi | HNp |
Cushi | Cushite man |
H3570-01 |
Zephaniah 1:1 | כּוּשִׁ֣י | kushi | HNp |
Cushi | Cushite man |