פּוּט
Put, a son of Ham, also the name of his descendants or their region, and of a Persian tribe
Definition
Put (פּוּט) is a proper noun referring primarily to a people and region descended from Ham's son Put (Genesis 10:6, 1 Chronicles 1:8). In prophetic literature, Put is consistently associated with military power, often appearing alongside other foreign nations like Libya (Lud) and Cush as allies of Egypt (Jeremiah 46:9, Ezekiel 30:5, Ezekiel 38:5). In Ezekiel 27:10, men of Put serve as mercenaries in Tyre's army, highlighting their martial reputation. Nahum 3:9 mentions Put as an ally of Thebes (No-Amon), reinforcing its connection to Northeast Africa.
Biblical Usage
Put is used seven times in the Old Testament, exclusively in genealogical and prophetic contexts. It appears in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:6, 1 Chronicles 1:8) to establish ethnic origins. All other occurrences are in prophetic books (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nahum), where it denotes a foreign military power allied with Egypt or Tyre. The pattern shows a shift from an ancestral name to a geopolitical identifier for a mercenary force from North Africa, likely Libya.
Etymology
The word פּוּט (Pûwṭ) is of foreign origin, borrowed into Hebrew. It is widely identified with the ancient Libyan region and people known to the Egyptians as *Pwnt* (Punt) or, more likely, with the Libyans (Meshwesh or Tehenu). There is no known Hebrew root. The name appears in Assyrian records as *Putu* or *Putu*, referring to a North African territory. Its meaning in its original language is uncertain.
Semantic Range
Put serves as a recurring symbol of Gentile military might and political alliances opposed to God's people. Its consistent pairing with Egypt and Tyre in judgment oracles (e.g., Ezekiel 30:5, Jeremiah 46:9) underscores a biblical theme: human power structures, however formidable, are subject to God's sovereign judgment. Understanding Put enriches reading by clarifying the scope of prophetic judgments against the nations, demonstrating that God's authority extends over all peoples listed in the Table of Nations.
In the ancient Near East, Put was understood as a real, powerful nation in North Africa, likely corresponding to parts of modern Libya. Biblical authors associated it with skilled warriors and mercenaries, a detail corroborated by Egyptian and Assyrian texts that mention Libyan military forces. This differs from a modern generic understanding of a name; for original readers, 'Put' evoked a specific, known geopolitical and ethnic entity with a martial reputation.
Lud (לוּד, H3865) — Often paired with Put as another North African ally (e.g., Ezekiel 30:5), but Lud is typically associated with Lydia in Asia Minor. Cush (כּוּשׁ, H3568) — Another son of Ham and region (often Nubia/Sudan), frequently mentioned alongside Put (e.g., Ezekiel 38:5) but representing a distinct people to the south of Egypt.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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