Your copyless August cover speaks volumes. The contents page promises
that J. Daniel Hays is going to show that yes, there is something
out of Africa and it effected the Middle East as well as Greece! I
wonder what challenges the readers will make to this article.
I found this foray into one African peoples contributions to the
ancient Bible world refreshing and timely. I really enjoyed the
article. The switching of notes 28 and 32 threw me off for a moment.
So did the Cushite vs Arab dichotomy in note 11. I don't think the
term Cush was only a specific for the Cushite nation proper, but
applied to all very dark skinned nations or individuals as well. Only
the context will tell which is meant.
For instance,Herodotus let's us know that Cushites were in Asia and
Africa when he mentions eastern and western Cushites differentiated by
hair texture. And Josephus mentions the Western Cushites and seems to
class the Sabaeans with them.(Antiquities I.vi.2)
Zerah was most likely a Western Cushite, for the reasons given in the
article. But why can't an Arab be Cushite? GENESIS places Sheba and
Dedan in both Shem (GEN 25:2) and Ham's (GEN 10:17) territorial lineage.
(Ham -> Cush -> Ra`amah -> Sheba and Dedan)
(Shem - -> `Eber -> Joktan -> Sheba)
(Abraham -> Jokshan -> Sheba and Dedan)
(Abraham -> Midian)
Cushites and Arabians are coupled in Psa 72:10, II Chr 21:16 and
especially Isa 43:3. In Arabic the title, Zirrih (magnificent) has the
same triliteral root as Zerah. Arabic, Egyptian and Hebrew are all
"Afro-Asian" languages.
The incident involving Moses' wife also shows an Arabian Cush. In
Exodus Moses only has one wife, Zipporah the Midianite. Miriam calls
her a Cushite. The extra-Biblical Ethiopian wife does not travel with
Israel in Sinai. Extra-biblical sources do not present her as ever
leaving Ethiopia. So Miriam's Cushite is evidently also a Midianite
and so Hab 3:7 grouping Cushan with Midian.
Anthropolgy is loathe to classify Africans, Arabs and Indians as one
ethnic taxon based on color. The ancients did. It's similar to the
moderns classifying Europeans, Arabs, Indians and even Ethiopians
as Caucasians.
Was Elijah fed by crows or Arabs or a clan called the Crows of the
Arabs? For the Hebrew speakers Arabs, evening and crows come from the
same root and the word play on dusky color is intended.
For me there's no trouble with saris translated as both official and
eunuch. Were ancient Semites anything like the Muslim Ottomans? If so,
the Kizlar Aghassis testify to the second highest office being in the
hands of a "Cushite" eunuch. Why were officials also often eunuchs?
There are no worries of lineal ambition leading to disloyal activities.
In Hebrew, to this day, Cushi means a "black"-skinned person. The
Israelites evidently had Cushites in their ranks. In the Bible
Israelites named Cushi are Yehudi ben Kushi (Jer 36:14), Zephaniah
ben Kushi (Zep 1:1) and Kush ben-Yemini (Psa 7:1). The Talmud even
refers to Saul in Cushite terms.
Rabbinic midrash makes this all metaphorical though. The reasoning is
that Cushi means outstanding. The Greeks thought of the Ethiopians
as outstanding too. To them, the people with longest lifespan, the
tallest height, the handsomest faces and the most pious actions
were Ethiopians.
In light of the above Jer 13:23 can bear a new interpretation.
Is there anything intrinsically wicked about Cushites or leopards?
Cushites were salesmans of live leopards and leopard skins all
over the ancient world. Who'd buy a spotless leopard skin? The spots
are its beauty. The Cushites skin is his beauty.
The prophet siezes on this common market connection to sound home
his point. "Would the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its
spots? (No!) Then may you also do GOOD that are accustomed to do
evil." Answering the question yes destroys the logical conlusion.
Be steadfast in doing good and don't exchange it for evil.
Be unchanging in doing good instead of flopping with the
worthlessness of evil.
J. Daniel Hays, thanks for something delightfully different in Bible
Review.
