Charles Ellicott Commentary Judges 3:8

"Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years." — Judges 3:8 (ASV)

Into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim. —If the reading of all the manuscripts is correct, this must be a term of hatred rather than a name, for it means “Cushan of the double wickedness.” Some manuscripts of the Septuagint have Chousarsathaim.

Josephus (Antiquities 5.3.3) shortens it to Chousarthes; and St. Clement of Alexandria (Stromata 1.21) to Chousachar. Syncellus (Chronographia 1.58) says that Paphos was founded by those who fled from this Mesopotamian conqueror (Ewald). Cushan only occurs elsewhere in Habakkuk 3:7, “I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction.” Cush was a son of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8), and our translators, in the margin of Habakkuk 3:11, render Cushan as Ethiopia.

It is quite possible that Rishathaim may be the distorted form of the name of some town. It is always the tendency of a people to re-stamp a word they incorporate into their current vocabulary, because nations generally dislike using a term they do not understand. For example, in London streets, “Hangman’s Gains” is a corruption of Hammes et Guynes, and Blind Chapel Court, of Blanch Appleton.

The Jews were not only accustomed to re-stamp in this way (sur-frapper) the names of foreign kings, peoples, and idols, but they especially rejoiced in using terms of hatred. For instance, the Romans in the Talmud are called Idumeans; Beelzebul was changed into Beelzebub; Bethel into Bethaven; Ptolemy into Talmai; Ir-Cheres into Ir-Heres (see Note on Judges 1:33), and so on. In an ancient Rabbinic commentary, the “two wickednesses” are thought to be those of Balaam and Cushan, or that of Laban repeating itself in his descendants. The Targum and Syriac render it as “the criminal Cushan.”

King of Mesopotamia. —In the original Aram-naharian, “the highland of the two rivers” (Euphrates and Tigris), or, as the Septuagint renders it, “Syria of the rivers.” His invasion, like that of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, was from the south. Therefore, it is repelled by Othniel, whose inheritance was in the tribe of Judah. We find no other invaders from the far east until the close of the monarchy.