<strong>CUSHAN-RISHATHAIM</strong> <strong>koo’ shăn rĭsh’ ə thā'əm</strong> (<span class="hebrew">כּוּשַׁ֣ן רִשְׁעָתַ֔יִם</span>). (Rendered <em>Chushan-rishathaim</em> in the KJV.)<br /><br />

The [[king]] of [[Mesopotamia]] (Hebrew, Aram-naharaim) in the period of the [[Judges]] (<bibleref ref="Judg.3.8">Judg 3:8</bibleref>). He ruled over [[Israel]] for eight years. The occasion of his [[oppression]] was the [[sin]] of the [[children of Israel]]. They did [[evil]] in [[God]]’s sight and forgot God, serving instead the [[Baalim]] and the [[Asheroth]] (<bibleref ref="Judg.3.7">Judg 3:7</bibleref>).

God consequently sold Israel into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, soon after the death of [[Joshua]], a little later than 1200 <span class="small-caps">b.c.</span>

After eight years of subjection to this king, the Israelites cried to God who gave to them a deliverer, [[Othniel]], the nephew of [[Caleb]]. Othniel, by God’s Spirit, prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.<br /><br />

The identity of this king and his [[kingdom]] are much in dispute. There are two basic views concerning his identity, however:<br /><br />

<li>He is from the area of the two rivers (the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]]) as the Hebrew would seem to imply (<em>Aram-naharaim</em> means “Aram of the two rivers”). Such a country is known from [[Egypt|Egyptian]] manuscripts as well as from [[Tell-el-amarna]]. The people of this land could have been the [[Mitanni]]. It is also possible that he was a [[Hittite]] ruler of that area.</li>
<li>He is from [[Edom]] and the word “Aram” is a mistake. It should read, “Edom-of the two wickednesses” (Rishathaim from the Heb. <span class="hebrew">רֶ֫שַׁע</span>, <span class="gknumber">H8400</span>, “wickedness”) or “Rêsh-hattêmānî, chief of the Temanites.” In support of this latter view it is argued that the ending-an is like many Edomite tribal names and consequently the corruption to “Rishathaim” is a deliberate attempt of the writer to corrupt the name and denounce him before the people of Israel as the English might later corrupt the name Adolf Hitler to be “Adolf Hater.”</li>

Since the latter is highly speculative, the former is more probable. The first view does no violence to the text. Furthermore, the 12th century <span class="small-caps">b.c.</span> witnessed the rise of the [[Assyria|Assyrian]] empire. In the latter part of the cent., both in Assyria and [[Babylonia]], forerunners of the great empires came into power. In Assyria there was [[Tiglath-pileser I]] and in Babylonia, in the same period, was [[Nebuchadnezzar I]]. Cushan-rishathaim was possibly from one of these dynasties, both properly in the Mesopotamian area.<br /><br />

<h2>Bibliography</h2>

J. Bright, <em>A <span class="auto-link">[[History of Israel]]</span></em> (1960), 156ff.<br /><br />

<h2>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)</h2>

Mentioned in <bibleref ref="Judg.3.8-Judg.3.10">Jud 3:8-10</bibleref> as a king of Mesopotamia who was chosen by God as his tool to chastise the Israelites for their idolatry. After Joshua’s death the children of Israel soon began to affiliate themselves with the heathen peoples among whom they dwelt. This was the fertile source of all their troubles. God delivered ("sold") them into the hands of the heathen. C.-r. is the first whose name is given in this connection. Barring this short passage in Jud nothing is known of the man. Eight years the Israelites were under his dominion, when the Lord raised up a deliverer to them, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother--the first of the judges.<br /><br />

Cushan-Rishathaim