Bible Word Study
חוּשָׁה
Chûwshâh · Chushah, an Israelite
חוּשָׁה
Chushah, an Israelite
Definition
Chushah is a proper noun referring to an individual mentioned in the genealogy of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4:4. The name is derived from the Hebrew root meaning 'to hurry' or 'haste,' suggesting a name given perhaps in a context of urgency or quick action. As a personal name, it identifies a specific Israelite, the father of several sons, within the tribal lineage. The word appears only in this genealogical context and does not carry multiple senses or meanings in different biblical passages.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 4:4. It functions solely as a personal name within a genealogical list, specifically in the lineage of Judah through his son Hur. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts, as it is a unique identifier for an individual ancestor.
Etymology
The name Chushah (חוּשָׁה) is a feminine form derived from the root חוּשׁ (H2363), which means 'to hurry,' 'to make haste,' or 'to be quick.' It is related to the verb 'to hasten' and shares a root with other words conveying urgency. The formation suggests it was originally a descriptive name, possibly given to commemorate an event or characteristic involving speed.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, reflecting circumstances of birth, parental hopes, or divine attributes. A name like Chushah ('haste') may have been given to commemorate a quick or urgent event surrounding the individual's birth or life. This contrasts with modern naming conventions, which often prioritize sound or family tradition over literal meaning. As a genealogical entry, it also underscores the importance of lineage and tribal identity in Israel's historical records. חוּשׁ (Chûsh, H2363) — the root verb meaning 'to hasten,' from which the name is derived.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]