CHUS. - A geographical term (Heb. Kúf), fairly frequent in the Bible. In Gen. 2:13 the land traversed by the river Gihon is called C. This text, like that which connects C. with Nimrod, king of Shinar (Gen. 10:8, 12), would suggest a Mesopotamian region. But biblical texts are far more numerous (cf. II Kings 19:9; Ps. 67:32; 86:4; Is. 11:11; 18:1; 20:3, 5; Ez. 29:10) which lead one to place C. in Africa south of Egypt, that is, Ethiopia (v.).
Indeed, already in the genealogy of nations (Gen. 10:6, 7), C. is presented as the firstborn son of Ham (= Hamites), whose brothers would be Mizraim (= Egypt), Phut, and Canaan. The descendants of C., namely Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca, appear as tribes of Arabia. It is possible that the various data represent a most ancient tradition of a movement from Mesopotamia into Africa, with offshoots in Arabia. In Jer. 13:23 the Cushite is described as belonging to the Black race; whereas in Am. 9:7 a certain contempt is displayed toward that people, generally employed as slaves (cf. II Sam. 18:21 ff.; Jer. 38:7; 39:16). Yet Moses’ wife too was a Cushite (Num. 12:1). Angelo Penna