Chushan Rishathaim
“Ethiopian of double wickedness, or chief of two governments”
Summary
The king of Mesopotamia who oppressed Israel for eight years in the generation following Joshua, until defeated by Othniel.
☩The First Oppression
Chushan Rishathaim was the king of Mesopotamia who oppressed Israel during eight years in the generation immediately following Joshua's death. The seat of his dominion was probably the region between the Euphrates and the modern Khabour, to which the name Mesopotamia specially attached. His name, if Hebrew, would signify 'Cush of the two wickednesses,' or perhaps in Arabic, 'chief of two governments.' Josephus calls him 'Chusarthus, king of the Assyrians.'
☩Deliverance through Othniel
Chushan Rishathaim's yoke was broken from Israel's neck after eight years by Othniel, Caleb's nephew, whom the Spirit of the Lord empowered to judge Israel. This is recorded as the first cycle of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance in the book of Judges. Nothing more is heard of Mesopotamia as an aggressive power against Israel, likely due to the rise of the Assyrian empire around 1270 B.C., which reduced the bordering nations to insignificance.
Related Verses1 mention
Judges· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Chushan-Rishathaim," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Chushanrishathaim," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Chushan Rishathaim," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).