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

• A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.22
• son of: Shem (שֵׁם)
• brother of: Elam (עֵילָם), Arpachshad (אַרְפַּכְשַׁד), Lud (לוּד) and Aram (אֲרָם)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Also see: אָשֻׁר

‎אַשּׁוּר‎ proper name, of a people & territory Asshur, Assyria (Assyrian Aššur, land & city Dl^{Pa 252} COT on Gen 2:14 Persian Athura, Syriac ; on the connection with name of god Ašur, & with √ ‎אשׁר‎ = ‎ישׁר‎ good, gracious, compare COT^l.c.; see also Jen^{ZA, 1886, 1 f.} Schr^{ib. 209 f.} Nö^{ib. 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

Profile

Male • Son of Shem • Son of Shem; father of the Assyrians

Man living at the time of the Patriarchs

Asshur was a son of Shem and is considered the father of the Assyrians (Gen 10:22; 1 Chr 1:17).

• A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.22;
• only referred to as Asshur אַשּׁוּר;
• son of Shem שֵׁם;
• a brother of Elam עֵילָם, Arpachshad אַרְפַּכְשַׁד, Lud לוּד and Aram אֲרָם;
• founder of Tekoa תְּקוֹעַ.

Asshur is mentioned in the genealogies of Genesis 10 and 1 Chronicles 1, known as the Table of Nations. He was a son of Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. The Table of Nations records the spreading out of Noah's descendants after the flood, indicating the origins of various people groups. Asshur is associated with the Assyrians, an ancient Semitic people who inhabited the region of Mesopotamia. The Assyrians established a powerful empire that played a significant role in the history of the ancient Near East. The name Asshur is also used to refer to the chief deity of the Assyrian pantheon and the capital city of the Assyrian Empire.

All entries for Asshur: אַשּׁוּר

Related Profiles:

• Shem (father)
• Elam (sibling)
• Arpachshad (sibling)
• Lud (sibling)
• Aram (sibling)
• town|Tekoa (child)