שׁוּעָא
Shua, an Israelitess
Definition
Shua (שׁוּעָא) is a proper noun referring to a woman in the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah. In 1 Chronicles 2:3, she is identified as the Canaanite wife of Judah and the mother of Er, Onan, and Shelah. In 1 Chronicles 7:32, the name appears again, but here it refers to a man, Shua, who is listed as a son of Heber from the tribe of Asher. Therefore, the name is used for two distinct individuals in the biblical text: a Canaanite matriarch in Judah's lineage and an Asherite man.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively in the genealogical lists of 1 Chronicles. Its two occurrences highlight its function as a personal name within the chronicler's record of Israel's tribal ancestry. In 1 Chronicles 2:3, it identifies a key maternal figure in the lineage of Judah, connecting the tribe to Canaanite roots. In 1 Chronicles 7:32, it simply denotes a male descendant in the tribe of Asher.
Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root שָׁוַע (shavaʿ, H7768), meaning 'to cry out (for help)' or 'to be rich.' The name likely carries the connotation of 'wealth' or 'cry,' though its exact nuance as a personal name is uncertain. It is related to the name Shuah.
Semantic Range
The inclusion of Shua, the Canaanite wife of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:3), in the Messiah's lineage (Matthew 1:3 lists her as the mother of Judah's sons) is theologically significant. It demonstrates God's grace in incorporating Gentiles into the line of promise, foreshadowing the universal scope of redemption through Christ. Understanding this Hebrew name enriches the reading of Chronicles by highlighting the mixed, yet sovereignly directed, origins of God's people.
As a Canaanite name, its use for Judah's wife reflects the intermarriage between the Israelites and the indigenous populations of Canaan, a practice often warned against but evident in the historical records. The name's presence in two different tribes (Judah and Asher) also illustrates how common personal names could be in ancient Israelite society.
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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