the eldest son of Ham, and father of Nimrod; the other sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtecha. Gen. x. 6—8. Though we know of no other person of Scripture that is called by this name, yet there are several countries that are called by it; whether the same man may have dwelt in them all at different times, or that there were some other men of this name, we are ignorant.

The Vulgate, Septuagint, and other interpreters, both ancient and modern, generally translate Cush, Ethiopia; but there are many passages wherein this translation cannot take place.

Cush is the name of the country watered by the Araxes. They who in translating the situation of Eden, have made Cush Ethiopia, gave rise to that unwarrantable opinion which Josephus and several others have entertained of the river Gihon's being the Nile. In this place (Gen. ii. 13.) the LXX translation renders the word Cush by the name of Ethiopia; and in this mistake, is not only here followed by our English version, but in the same particular in several other places.

Cuth is the same as Cush. The Chaldees generally put the tan where the Hebrews use the shin: they say cuth, instead of cush. See Cuth.

But Ethiopia is frequently in the Hebrew called Cush; and Josephus says, that they called themselves by this name, and that the same name was given them by all Asia. St Jerome tells us that the Hebrews call the Ethiopians by the same name, and the Septuagint give them no other. Jeremiah (xiii. 23.) says, "Can the Cushman, or Ethiopian, change his colour?" In Ezekiel (xxix. 10.) the Lord threatens to reduce "Egypt to a desert, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Cush, or Ethiopia;" and in Isaiah, (xi. 11.) he says, "he will recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Affyria, and from Egypt, and Pathos, and from Cush." All these marks agree with Ethiopia properly so called, which lies to the south of Egypt.

Bochart has shown very clearly that there was a country called the "land of Cush" in Arabia Petraea, bordering upon Egypt; that this country extended itself principally upon the eastern shore of the Red Sea, and at its extremity to the point of the sea, inclining towards Egypt and Palestine.

Thus there are three countries of the name of Cush, described in Scripture, and all confounded by interpreters under the general name of Ethiopia.