Speak The Word Only

2 Chronicles 14 — Zerah the Cushite Zerah appears only briefly in Scripture, but his appearance in 2 Chronicles 14:9–15 is significant because Scripture specifically identifies him by his Cushite identity .  Who was Zerah? 2 Chronicles 14:9 (KJV): “And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.” The Hebrew expression is זֶרַח הַכּוּשִׁי — Zeraḥ ha-Kûšî , meaning: “Zerah the Cushite.” The KJV translates Kûšî as “Ethiopian.” This is the same biblical Cush associated genealogically with Cush, the son of Ham, in Genesis 10:6 . However, Scripture does not call Zerah “king of Ethiopia.” That distinction is important. Zerah is presented as the leader of an enormous Cushite military force, but Chronicles does not give him a royal title. His precise historical identity remains uncertain. We should therefore distinguish: Biblical certainty: Zerah was a Cushite military leader who invaded Judah...