CUSHAN-RISHATHAIM

(Cuʹshan-rish·a·thaʹim).

A king of Mesopotamia from whose domination Othniel liberated the Israelites after eight years of servitude. He is also called “the king of Syria.” (Judg. 3:7-11) Some view the second half (“rishathaim”) of this composite name as the name of a place or region, while others translate it to mean “double wickedness.” “Cushan” is used at Habakkuk 3:7 to parallel Midian; however, King Cushan-rishathaim is stated to be from Mesopotamia (Heb., ʼAramʹ na·haraʹyim, meaning “Aram of the two rivers”; compare Genesis 24:10, where the same term is used to describe the location of the city of Nahor in Syria). A list of Pharaoh Ramses III mentions a district in northern Syria called Qusanaruma, and this is suggested by some scholars to have been the possible seat of this king’s domain. Cushan-rishathaim was Israel’s first major oppressor during the period of the judges.