Lexical Summary Kushan Rishathayim: Cushan-Rishathaim Original Word: כּוּשַׁן רִשְׁעָתַיִם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Chushan-rishathayim Apparently from Kuwshan and the dual of rish'ah; Cushan of double wickedness; Cushan-Rishathajim, a Mesopotamian king -- Chushan-rishathayim. see HEBREW Kuwshan see HEBREW rish'ah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originappar. from Kushan and rishah Definition king of Aram-naharaim NASB Translation Cushan-rishathaim (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs כּוּשַׁן רִשְׁעָתַ֫יִם proper name, masculine king of Aram Naharaim Judges 3:8 (twice in verse); Judges 3:10 (twice in verse); otherwise unknown, ᵐ5 Ξουσαρσαθαιμ, ᵐ5L Ξουσανρεσαμωθ. כּוֺשָׁרוֺת see [ כּוֺשָׁרָה] below כָּשַׁר. Topical Lexicon Scriptural Occurrences Cushan Rishathaim is mentioned four times, all within the narrative of Israel’s first oppression after the death of Joshua. Twice his name appears in Judges 3:8 and twice in Judges 3:10. The Berean Standard Bible records: “So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-Naharaim, and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years” (Judges 3:8). Later, “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Othniel, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and Othniel prevailed against him” (Judges 3:10). Historical Context 1. Period: Early in the era of the Judges, soon after Joshua’s generation had “grown old and died” and Israel “did evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 2:10-12). Role in Redemptive History • Prototype Oppressor: Cushan Rishathaim is the archetype of foreign domination used by God to discipline His covenant people. Theological Insights 1. Divine Sovereignty: “He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim” (Judges 3:8) affirms that even pagan kings serve God’s larger purposes. Ministry Applications • Call to Repentance: Like Israel, churches and individuals must forsake compromise lest God allow corrective discipline (Revelation 2:5). Related Names and Nations Aram Naharaim is linked to Abraham’s ancestral homeland (Genesis 24:10), reminding readers that the same God who called a family from that region now disciplines a nation by it. Later oppressors—Moab, Midian, Philistia—mirror Cushan Rishathaim’s role, each exposing Israel’s need for a righteous king, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Summary Cushan Rishathaim stands as the inaugural foreign oppressor in Judges, a figure through whom God both chastens and rescues His people, spotlighting themes of sin, judgment, repentance, and Spirit-empowered salvation that resonate throughout Scripture and culminate in the gospel. Forms and Transliterations רִשְׁעָתַ֔יִם רִשְׁעָתַ֖יִם רִשְׁעָתָֽיִם׃ רשעתים רשעתים׃ riš‘āṯayim riš‘āṯāyim riš·‘ā·ṯa·yim riš·‘ā·ṯā·yim rishaTayimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 3:8 HEB: בְּיַד֙ כּוּשַׁ֣ן רִשְׁעָתַ֔יִם מֶ֖לֶךְ אֲרַ֣ם NAS: them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king KJV: them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king INT: sold the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia Judges 3:8 Judges 3:10 Judges 3:10 4 Occurrences |