Lexical Definition
אַשּׁוּר ʼAshshûwr (ash-shoor') Assyria N:N--L
or אַשֻּׁר ʼAshshur (ash-shoor'); apparently from אָשַׁר (in the sense of successful)
Asshur, Assur, Assyria, Assyrians. See אָשֻׁר.
- § Asshur or Assyria = "a step"
- Ashshur, the second son of Shem
- also his descendants and the country occupied by them (i.e. Assyria), its region and its empire
n pr m
1) the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians
2) the people of Assyria
n pr loc
3) the nation, Assyria
4) the land, Assyria or Asshur
Extended Information
- the nation, Assyria
- the land, Assyria or Asshur
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Also see: אָשֻׁר
אַשּׁוּר proper name, of a people & territory Asshur, Assyria (Assyrian Aššur, land & city DlPa 252 COT on Gen 2:14 Persian Athura, Syriac 
; on the connection with name of god Ašur, & with √ אשׁר = ישׁר good, gracious, compare COTl.c.; see also JenZA, 1886, 1 f. Schrib. 209 f. Nöib. 268 f.)
1. Asshur as person, 2nd son of Shem Gen 10:22 (P, in table of nations) 1Chr 1:17.
2. people of Asshur (often as invading army & even world-power) Num 24:22; Num 24:24 (poem of Balaam) Hos 12:2*; Hos 14:4*; Isa 10:5; Isa 14:25; Isa 19:23 (twice in verse); Isa 19:24; Isa 19:25; Isa 23:13; Isa 30:31; Isa 31:8; Isa 52:4; Lam 5:6; Ezek 23:5; Ezek 27:23; Ezek 32:22 (here feminine) Zech 10:11; Ps 83:9* perhaps read גְּשׁוּר, compare 2Sam 2:9 below אֲשׁוּרִי; or (if Ps 83 be late) regard אַשּׁוּר (like עֲמָלֵק ib.) as used because of ancient significance; sometimes personified as one Isa 10:5; Ezek 31:3 (but strike out Co q. v.), compare also Mic 5:4*; Mic 5:5*; Zeph 2:13 ׳מַחֲנֵה א 2Kgs 19:32 = Isa 37:36 ׳בְּנֵי א Ezek 16:28; Ezek 23:7; Ezek 23:9; Ezek 23:12; Ezek 23:23.
3. land of Assyria Gen 2:14; Gen 10:11; Hos 5:13; Hos 7:11; Hos 8:9; Hos 9:3; Hos 10:6; Isa 11:11; Isa 11:16; Isa 19:23; Jer 2:18; Jer 2:36; Mic 7:12; Zech 10:10 אַשּׁ֫וּרָה Gen 25:18; Isa 19:23; 2Kgs 15:29; 2Kgs 17:6; 2Kgs 17:23; 2Kgs 18:11 אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר Isa 7:18; Isa 27:13; Hos 11:11; Mic 5:5*.
4. especially מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר Isa 8:4; Isa 10:12; Isa 20:1; Isa 20:4; Isa 20:6 (probably gloss Isa 7:17; Isa 7:20; Isa 8:7) 2Kgs 15:19 + 41 t. 2 Kings; 14 t. Isa 36-38; 1Chr 5:6 (אַשֻּׁר) + 13 t. Chronicles; also Jer 50:17; Jer 50:18; Nah 3:18; Ezra 4:2 (only Ezra 6:22 of Persian or any king not strictly Assyrian); note also ׳הַמֶּלֶךְ א Isa 36:8; Isa 36:16 (׳א perhaps gloss, compare Di who holds same view as to 2Kgs 18:23; 2Kgs 18:31); ׳מַלְכֵי א 2Kgs 19:11; 2Kgs 19:17 = Isa 37:11; Isa 37:18; 2Chr 28:16; 2Chr 30:6; Neh 9:32.
Brown-Driver-Briggs References
| Book | Refs |
|---|---|
| Genesis | 2:14 · 10:11 · 10:22 · 25:18 |
| Numbers | 24:22 · 24:24 |
| 2 Samuel | 2:9 |
| 2 Kings | 15:19 · 15:29 · 17:6 · 17:23 · 18:11 · 18:23 · 18:31 · 19:11 · 19:17 · 19:32 |
| 1 Chronicles | 1:17 · 5:6 |
| 2 Chronicles | 28:16 · 30:6 |
| Ezra | 4:2 · 6:22 |
| Nehemiah | 9:32 |
| Psalms | Chapter 83 · 83:9* |
| Isaiah | 7:17 · 7:18 · 7:20 · 8:4 · 8:7 · 10:5 · 10:12 · 11:11 · 11:16 · 14:25 · 19:23 · 19:24 · 19:25 · 20:1 · 20:4 · 20:6 · 23:13 · 27:13 · 30:31 · 31:8 · 36:8 · 36:16 · 37:11 · 37:18 · 37:36 · 52:4 |
| Jeremiah | 2:18 · 2:36 · 50:17 · 50:18 |
| Lamentations | 5:6 |
| Ezekiel | 16:28 · 23:5 · 23:7 · 23:9 · 23:12 · 23:23 · 27:23 · 31:3 · 32:22 |
| Hosea | 5:13 · 7:11 · 8:9 · 9:3 · 10:6 · 11:11 · 12:2* · 14:4* |
| Micah | 5:4* · 5:5* · 7:12 |
| Nahum | 3:18 |
| Zephaniah | 2:13 |
| Zechariah | 10:10 · 10:11 |
Profile
Assyria • A powerful ancient empire, often in conflict with Israel.
Assyria, a major Mesopotamian empire, frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as an adversary of Israel and Judah.
- A location first mentioned at Gen.2.14;
- referred to as Assyria or Assyrian or Asshur (NIV= Ashur) אַשּׁוּר.
Assyria, also known as Asshur, was a powerful ancient empire centered in Mesopotamia, in what is now modern-day Iraq. The Assyrians are mentioned extensively throughout the Old Testament, often in the context of their military conquests and their interactions with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
The name "Asshur" first appears in Genesis 10:11, where it is associated with Nimrod, who is said to have built several cities, including Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. In Genesis 25:18, the descendants of Ishmael are described as living in the region from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as one goes toward Assyria.
Assyria began to emerge as a significant power in the 9th century BC, and its kings are mentioned in the books of Kings and Chronicles. The Assyrian king Shalmaneser III is recorded as receiving tribute from Jehu, king of Israel (2 Kings 15:19-20). Later, Tiglath-Pileser III, also known as Pul, conquered parts of Israel and deported some of its inhabitants (2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:6, 26).
The Assyrian Empire reached its zenith during the reign of Sennacherib, who is known for his military campaigns against Judah and his siege of Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37). The prophet Isaiah played a significant role in encouraging Hezekiah to trust in God and resist the Assyrian threat.
Other Assyrian kings, such as Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, are also mentioned in the Bible (Ezra 4:2; 2 Chronicles 33:11). The fall of the Assyrian Empire is alluded to in the prophetic books, particularly in Nahum, which foretells the destruction of Nineveh (Nahum 3:18-19).
All entries for Assyria or Asshur: אַשּׁוּר