What is the significance of Cush in the Bible?

Answer

The land of Cush refers to a region south of Israel and is translated as “Ethiopia” in certain versions of the Bible. Cush gets its name from Cush, a son of Ham, who was a son of Noah. «And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. », (Genesis 10:7). The land of Cush is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, and the Cushites had regular interactions with the Israelites.

Cush is first mentioned in Genesis: “The name of the second river [flowing out of Eden] is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush” «And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. », (Genesis 2:13). While some suggest that in this context, Cush might refer to Mesopotamia, other biblical scholars argue that it is more appropriate to view it as a general term for the African territories south of Egypt. The King James Version and Contemporary English Version translate the name of the land as “Ethiopia” in Genesis 2:13.

Cush is portrayed as a mighty nation in the Bible. During the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib, he was alarmed by Tirhakah, the king of Cush, who was advancing to confront the Assyrians in battle. This led Sennacherib to try to intimidate the Israelites (2 Kings 19:9-10;Isaiah 37:9). Subsequently, King Asa of Judah and his army went out to battle Zerah the Cushite, who had “come out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and reached as far as Mareshah” «And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three h

One hundred chariots came unto Mareshah (2 Chronicles 14:9). Asa entrusted the battle to the Lord, and by God’s strength, the Cushites were defeated (2 Chronicles 14:10-14). Isaiah describes Cush as a “powerful and oppressive nation” (Isaiah 18:1-2; NASB). Cush not only possessed military might but was also known for its wealth and precious stones. Job mentions the topaz of Cush as very valuable “The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.” (Job 28:19).

The Lord pronounced judgment upon Cush in the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel. Since the Egyptians were related to the Cushites through the lineage of Ham, Cush is often mentioned alongside the judgments of Egypt “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.” (Genesis 10:6). In Isaiah, God denounces the Israelites who trusted in Cush or Egypt to save them from the Assyrians “And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.” (Isaiah 20:5). God’s judgment against Cush is also evident in Ezekiel’s prophecies, which mention how Cush’s wealth and power would be taken away (Ezekiel 30:4-5, 9).

Although some Bible translations substitute the English word Ethiopia for Cush, the nation of Cush was not the same as modern Ethiopia. The Cush of the Bible often refers to a region in Africa (Ezekiel 30:4-6); at other times, it seems to refer to Arabia— in Habakkuk 3:7, Cush is linked to Midian, a land closer to the Red Sea. The reason for the obscurity could well be that the Cushites migrated to various areas. The Cushites were dark-skinned “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”, (Jeremiah 13:23). A couple of Cushites are mentioned in the Bible. Moses married a Cushite woman “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.”, (Numbers 12:1). And it was a Cushite who brought news of Absalom’s death to King David (2 Samuel 18:20-21, 31-32). Significantly, Cush is also a nation that received the gospel and will be involved in the millennial kingdom. The evangelist Philip gave the gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch, who would have been referred to as a Cushite in Hebrew, and the eunuch was one of the first converts of Ethiopia to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). He undoubtedly took the gospel back to his land, where he had great influence as a royal official to Queen Candace “And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,”, (Acts 8:27). During the millennial reign of Christ, Jesus will receive honor from Cush/Ethiopia: “From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people.”

“will bring me offerings” “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.”, (Zephaniah 3:10).