כּוּשִׁי (ku.shi)
ku.shi
Ethiopian
N:N--LGQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 18 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--LG
Word Overview
The adjective kûshî identifies someone or something from Cush, the region generally understood as Ethiopia or Nubia south of Egypt. It functions primarily as a gentilic, meaning it describes a person’s origin rather than just a location. In the Hebrew Bible, this term appears eighteen times, most frequently in historical books like 2 Samuel and Chronicles, as well as in the prophetic writings of Jeremiah.
The word derives from kûsh, the name for the land itself. One notable usage distinguishes an individual by this label: Zephaniah 1:1 mentions a prophet named Cushi, son of Gedaliah. This specific reference highlights that Cushites were present in Jerusalem during the late monarchy period, serving as messengers or officials within the royal court.
Translators typically render kûshî as "Ethiopian." The term carries no inherent moral judgment in its original context; it simply denotes geographic and ethnic identity. Its presence in texts describing military campaigns and royal administration shows that people from this southern region were integrated into the political and social fabric of ancient Judah.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word kûshî simply identifies someone from Cush, a region south of Egypt. In the Hebrew Bible, it marks ethnic origin without moral judgment. This neutral label reminds us that God’s story includes people from every nation and background, not just one specific group.
Some passages highlight how outsiders interacted with Israel’s leaders. For instance, Jeremiah 13:23 uses a Cushite’s skin as a metaphor to ask if anyone can change their nature. It is a rhetorical question about human stubbornness, not a comment on the person’s worth or character.
Other verses show Cushites serving in royal courts or leading military campaigns. These stories illustrate that people from distant lands were part of the social and political fabric of ancient Judah. The term itself does not carry prejudice; it is a straightforward descriptor of where someone came from.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 18 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ Cushite10×
- and/ Cushites2×
- [the] Cushites2×
- to the/ Cushite1×
- the/ Cushites1×
- a Cushite1×
- [the] Cushite1×
- O Cushites1×
- Cushite1×
- Cushi1×
- <the>/ Cushite1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/כּוּשִׁ֜י3×
- הַ/כּוּשִׁ֗י2×
- הַ/כּוּשִׁ֖י2×
- לַ/כּוּשִׁ֔י1×
- כוּשִׁ֛י1×
- כּוּשִׁי֙1×
- כּוּשִֽׁים\׃1×
- כּוּשִׁ֣י1×
- כּוּשִׁ֔ים1×
- כֻשִׁיִּ֨ים1×
- כֻשִׁ֖ית1×
- וְ/כוּשִֽׁים\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Numbers 12:1
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.
This verse mentions Moses’ Cushite wife, showing that ethnic identity was part of the narrative even when it caused tension within the family.
-
Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.
The prophet uses the Cushite’s skin as a natural constant to challenge Israel’s ability to change their habitual evil ways.
-
Amos 9:7
Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to me, children of Israel?” says Yahweh. “Haven’t I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
God compares Israel to the Ethiopians to emphasize His sovereign power to bring people out of any land, not just Egypt.
-
Jeremiah 38:7
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),
Ebedmelech is identified by this term while acting courageously to save Jeremiah, showing his role in the royal court.