Speak His Word Only

Tantamani — King of Kush and the Last Pharaoh of Egypt’s 25th Dynasty Tantamani , also written Tanutamani or Tanwetamani , was a king of Kush and the final ruler of Egypt’s 25th Dynasty , the dynasty of Kushite rulers whose homeland was centered in Nubia, in what is now Sudan. The British Museum identifies Tantamani as the last Kushite king of Egypt , while the Metropolitan Museum dates his reign approximately 664–653 B.C. Tantamani succeeded Taharqa , one of the best-known Kushite pharaohs. During this period, the powerful Assyrian Empire was attempting to control Egypt. After Taharqa’s death, Tantamani moved north from Kush and attempted to restore Kushite authority over Egypt. He succeeded for a time in recovering Memphis , demonstrating that Kush still possessed considerable military and political strength. However, Assyria responded with another military campaign. The conflict culminated in the devastating Assyrian attack on Thebes around 663 B.C. Tantamani eventually withdrew ...

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...