Cushan
Cushan is a region mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Syria in modern-day Syria. Known today as Al Bad. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Cushan appears in a single, poetically charged verse in the Old Testament — Habakkuk 3:7 — within the prophet's magnificent theophanic vision of the LORD marching to deliver his people. In this vivid hymn of divine warfare, Habakkuk writes: I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the curtains of the land of Midian trembling. The parallelism between Cushan and Midian has led most scholars to view Cushan as another name for or a region closely associated with Midian, the territory east of the Gulf of Aqaba in northwestern Arabia. Some scholars connect Cushan-Rishathaim, the Mesopotamian king who oppressed Israel in Judges 3:8-10, with this region rather than Mesopotamia proper, suggesting Cushan refers to a people inhabiting the borderlands between Sinai, Arabia, and the Levant. The verse functions rhetorically in Habakkuk's hymn to evoke the cosmic terror accompanying the LORD's intervention in history on behalf of his covenant people, with surrounding nations trembling before his advance.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The geographic identification of Cushan remains contested among scholars. The parallelism with Midian in Habakkuk 3:7 suggests a location in northwestern Arabia, in the region of modern northwest Saudi Arabia or southern Jordan. Archaeological surveys in the region have identified sites with Midianite pottery, a distinctive polychrome ware associated with the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. Excavations at sites including Qurayyah and Tayma have yielded material culture consistent with the nomadic and semi-nomadic populations referenced in the biblical Midianite and Cushite traditions. The broader region around the Gulf of Aqaba preserves evidence of significant ancient settlement activity.
Verse Appearances (1)
Hab
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →