Who was Cushi in the Bible?

Cushi was the great-grandfather of Jehudi, a court official during the reign of King Jehoiakim. He is mentioned only in the context of his descendant, who was sent to fetch Baruch to read Jeremiah's prophetic scroll (Jeremiah 36:14).

What is the significance of Cushi in the Book of Jeremiah?

Cushi's significance is entirely genealogical, establishing the lineage of his great-grandson Jehudi. Jehudi played a key role in the events surrounding the reading and subsequent destruction of Jeremiah's scroll by King Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:14, 21-23).

What does the name 'Cushi' mean in the Bible?

The name 'Cushi' (Hebrew: כּוּשִׁי) typically means 'Ethiopian' or 'Cushite,' often referring to someone from the region of Cush (modern-day Sudan/Ethiopia). In this context, it was likely a personal name, not necessarily an ethnic descriptor for the individual.

Cushi

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleFather of shelemiah

Cushi was the great grandfather of Jehudi, who was sent to fetch Baruch to read Jeremiah's scroll. (Jer.36.14)

Cushi

Biography

This Cushi is identified in Jeremiah 36:14 as the great-grandfather of Jehudi, a royal official serving during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. When the princes of Jerusalem sought to hear Baruch's reading of Jeremiah's prophetic scroll, they sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi to summon Baruch. Cushi thus sits three generations before a pivotal moment in Israelite history, the public reading of Jeremiah's warnings. Like the Cushi associated with Zephaniah's lineage, this individual bore a name associated with the Cushite people of Africa, though again it may simply reflect a Hebrew personal name. His identity is entirely genealogical, preserved only as an anchor in Jehudi's family line.

Significance

Cushi's significance lies in his ancestral role within a momentous episode in redemptive history. His great-grandson Jehudi was the messenger dispatched to retrieve Baruch, who then read Jeremiah's divinely inspired scroll to the assembled officials in the temple (Jeremiah 36:14-15). This scroll contained God's warnings of impending judgment on Judah. The fact that the biblical narrator traces Jehudi's lineage to Cushi demonstrates the meticulous care with which the ancient scribes preserved identity and lineage. Even seemingly minor figures like Cushi are woven into the fabric of events through which God communicated his word to his people.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherGedaliahChildZephaniah

Verse Appearances (1)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 36:14

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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