Shuah
Encyclopedia
Shuah also known as Sous, was, according to the Bible, the sixth son of Abraham
, the patriarch
of the Israelites, and Keturah
whom he wed after the death of Sarah
. He was the youngest of Keturah's sons; the others were Zimran
, Jokshan
, Medan
, Midian
, and Ishbak
.
Josephus
writes of the brothers that "Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the Red Sea." In all probability, Abraham tried to keep them apart from Isaac
to avoid conflict while fulfilling God's commission to spread out and inhabit the globe. But unlike his brothers, Shuah seems to have turned northward and travelled into northern Mesopotamia
, in what is now the northern region of modern day Syria
. As evidenced by cuneiform
texts, the land seems to have been named after him, being known as the land of Sûchu which lies to the south of ancient Hittite
capital of Carchemish
on the Euphrates
river.
The Bible also records that Job's friend Bildad
was a Shuhite.
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, the patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of the Israelites, and Keturah
Keturah
According to the Hebrew Bible, Keturah or Ketura was the woman whom Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites, married after the death of his wife, Sarah. Keturah bore Abraham six sons, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah....
whom he wed after the death of Sarah
Sarah
Sarah or Sara was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Her name was originally Sarai...
. He was the youngest of Keturah's sons; the others were Zimran
Zimran
Zimran , also known as Zambran. was according to the Hebrew Bible the first son of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites, and Keturah whom he wed after the death of Sarah...
, Jokshan
Jokshan
Jokshan ; most probably Josephus' Jazar. According to the Bible he was the second son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah, whom he wed after the death of Sarah...
, Medan
Medan (son of Abraham)
According to the Bible, Medan ; also spelt Madan was the third son of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites, and Keturah whom he wed after the death of Sarah...
, Midian
Midian (son of Abraham)
According to the Hebrew Bible, Midian is the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, the woman Abraham married after Sarah's death. His brothers are Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Ishbak and Shuah....
, and Ishbak
Ishbak
Ishbak , also spelt Jisbak and Josabak. According to the Bible he was the fifth son of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites, and Keturah whom he wed after the death of Sarah...
.
Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
writes of the brothers that "Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the Red Sea." In all probability, Abraham tried to keep them apart from Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
to avoid conflict while fulfilling God's commission to spread out and inhabit the globe. But unlike his brothers, Shuah seems to have turned northward and travelled into northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, in what is now the northern region of modern day Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. As evidenced by cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
texts, the land seems to have been named after him, being known as the land of Sûchu which lies to the south of ancient Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
capital of Carchemish
Carchemish
Carchemish or Kargamış was an important ancient city of the Mitanni, Hittite and Neo Assyrian Empires, now on the frontier between Turkey and Syria. It was the location of an important battle between the Babylonians and Egyptians, mentioned in the Bible...
on the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
river.
The Bible also records that Job's friend Bildad
Bildad
Bildad the Shuhite was one of Job's three friends in the Book of Job. A descendant of Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts of Arabia...
was a Shuhite.