Ethiopia
“Hebrew 'Cush' (from Ham's son); Greek means 'land of burnt faces'”
Summary
The Greek and Roman name for the land of Cush, a kingdom in Africa south of Egypt, known for its powerful rulers and mentioned in prophecy and in the account of the Ethiopian eunuch.
☩Location and People
Ethiopia, called Cush in Hebrew, lay south of Egypt and embraced the modern regions of Nubia, Sudan, Kordofan, and northern Abyssinia. The boundary with Egypt was at Syene (modern Aswan) at the First Cataract. The 'rivers of Ethiopia' mentioned by the prophets are the two branches of the Nile and the Astabbras (Tacazze). The inhabitants were a Hamitic race descended from Cush, son of Ham, though mixed with various peoples over time.
☩Relations with Israel
The history of Ethiopia was closely interwoven with Egypt, the two often being united or allied. An Ethiopian king named Zerah invaded Judah with a vast army but was defeated by Asa. Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, opposed the Assyrian king Sennacherib during Hezekiah's reign. The prophets often mention Ethiopia alongside Egypt, sometimes as enemies, sometimes as places from which the dispersed of Israel would return.
☩The Ethiopian Eunuch
Shortly before Christ's birth, a native dynasty of queens bearing the title Candace ruled Ethiopia. One of these queens' officials, a eunuch who was treasurer of all her wealth, traveled to Jerusalem to worship. On his return journey, Philip the evangelist met him reading Isaiah and explained the gospel to him. The eunuch believed and was baptized—one of the earliest recorded conversions of a Gentile to Christianity.
Related Verses34 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Ethiopia," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ethiopia," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Ethiopia," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.George Morrish, "Ethiopia," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).