Cushan-rishathaim

Biblical Account

Cushan-rishathaim appears only in Judges 3:8–10, where he is called "king of Mesopotamia." The place name in the Hebrew text is Aram-naharaim, meaning "Aram between the two rivers."

According to Judges 3:7, the children of Israel forgot God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. God therefore delivered them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, and Israel served him eight years (Judges 3:8). When Israel cried out, God raised up as a deliverer Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Othniel, and he went out to war and prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim (Judges 3:10). Afterward the land had rest forty years (Judges 3:11).

The text records nothing further about his origins, his reign, or his later activities.

Significance Within the Bible

Cushan-rishathaim is the first oppressor to appear in the Book of Judges. His story presents, in its most concise form, the cycle summarized in Judges 2. That cycle runs as follows:

• Apostasy
• Oppression by a foreign nation
• Crying out to God
• Deliverance through a judge
• Rest

For this reason, the account of Othniel and Cushan-rishathaim is read as a model for the later narratives of the period of the judges. The New Testament does not mention him directly.

Interpretation and Debates

Meaning of the name: Rishathaim is understood in Hebrew to mean "double wickedness" or "twofold evil." A widely known scholarly view holds that this was not his original name but a derogatory epithet given to him by the Israelites. Another view sees it as wordplay chosen to match the ending of Naharaim. The name "Cushan" is sometimes discussed in connection with "the tents of Cushan" in Habakkuk 3:7, a verse in which Cushan appears alongside Midian.

Question of origin: Othniel, who defeated him, was a southern figure associated with the tribe of Judah. The fact that the oppressor came from distant Mesopotamia in the north has therefore long been a subject of discussion. Some scholars suggest that "Aram" and "Edom", which are spelled similarly in Hebrew, may have been confused in the course of scribal transmission. Others continue to read the text as it stands, as describing an invasion by a northern power.

Historical identification: Several attempts have been made to identify him with a particular historical figure known from sources outside the Bible, but none has gained broad acceptance. The date of his reign likewise depends on how one dates the period of the judges.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, Cushan-rishathaim is rarely treated as a sermon topic in his own right. He is usually introduced as the first oppressor in expository preaching on Judges or in sermons on Othniel. Such sermons generally focus on explaining the cycle in which Israel suffers for serving idols and is delivered when it repents and cries out to God.