שׁוּחִי
a Shuchite or descendant of Shuach
Definition
Shûwchîy is a gentilic noun meaning 'a Shuchite,' referring to a person belonging to the tribe or people group descended from Shuach. Shuach was a son of Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25:2), making the Shuhites a distant Abrahamic lineage. In the Bible, this term is used exclusively as an ethnic descriptor for Bildad, one of Job's three friends, identifying his ancestral origin. All five occurrences label Bildad this way, with no variation in meaning (e.g., Job 2:11, Job 8:1).
Biblical Usage
This word appears only five times in the Old Testament, all within the Book of Job. Its usage is strictly as a gentilic title attached to the name Bildad, one of Job's three companions who come to counsel and debate with him. The pattern is consistent: 'Bildad the Shuhite' (Job 2:11, 8:1, 18:1, 25:1, 42:9). It serves solely to specify his tribal or national identity within the narrative context.
Etymology
The word is a patronymic, derived from the proper name Shuach (שׁוּחַ, H7744), who was a son of Abraham and Keturah according to Genesis 25:2. The '-îy' suffix in Hebrew typically indicates 'belonging to' or 'descendant of.' Thus, Shûwchîy literally means 'of Shuach' or 'belonging to Shuach.'
Semantic Range
While the word itself is primarily an ethnic identifier, its theological significance emerges from its context. Bildad the Shuhite represents a specific, flawed human perspective on God's justice and suffering within the divine dialogue of the Book of Job. Identifying him as a Shuhite, a descendant of Abraham, may subtly underscore that even those within the broad covenant family can profoundly misunderstand God's ways. His speeches, and God's ultimate correction of them (Job 42:7-9), are central to the book's exploration of wisdom, suffering, and divine sovereignty.
As a gentilic, 'Shuhite' places Bildad within the complex tribal landscape of the ancient Near East. Being descended from Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4) situated the Shuhites among the various Arabian tribes east of Canaan. This eastern origin (cf. Job 1:3) fits the setting of the Book of Job and may imply Bildad brought a wisdom tradition distinct from Israel's. The label signifies his foreign, yet still Abrahamic, heritage to the original audience.
No direct synonyms as a proper gentilic. Related are other patronymics for Job's friends: 'Temanite' (Têmânîy, H8489) for Eliphaz and 'Naamathite' (Na‛ămâthîy, H5284) for Zophar.
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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