Lexical Summary
Put: Put
Original Word:פוּט
Part of Speech:Proper Name
Transliteration:Puwt
Pronunciation:poot
Phonetic Spelling:(poot)
KJV: Phut, Put
NASB:put
Word Origin:[of foreign origin]
1. Put, a son of Ham, also the name of his descendants or their region, and of a Persian tribe
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Phut, Put
Of foreign origin; Put, a son of Ham, also the name of his descendants or their region, and of a Persian tribe -- Phut, Put.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitiona son of Ham, also his desc. and their land
NASB Translationput (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
probably , or Libyan tribe; usually named with African peoples:
Nahum 3:9;
Jeremiah 46:9;
Ezekiel 27:10;
Ezekiel 30:5;
Ezekiel 38:5 ( usually );
Genesis 10:6 (P) =
1 Chronicles 1:8 (); +
Isaiah 66:19 (for ; ), — see Di
Genesis 10:6 Jen
ZA x. 325 ff.
Topical Lexicon
Genealogical OriginPut appears first in the Table of Nations as a son of Ham and brother to Cush, Mizraim, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6;1 Chronicles 1:8). From this single mention in the primeval genealogy flow every later biblical reference. The placement ties Put to the early dispersion of peoples after the flood, linking him to the African branch of Ham’s descendants and providing the foundation for identifying a later nation bearing his name.
Geographic Identification
Scripture places Put consistently alongside Cush and Egypt, orienting him toward the regions south and west of Egypt rather than toward the Levant or Arabia. Extra-biblical records from the first millennium B.C. speak of a Libyan people called pḥt or pwṭ, matching the biblical spelling and situating Put in what is now Libya and possibly coastal North Africa. The prophets’ pairing of Put with nations on either side of the Nile Valley further supports a North-African locale, west of Cush (modern Sudan/Ethiopia) and often in alliance with Egypt. While absolute precision is elusive, the biblical portrait paints Put as a western neighbor to Cush, a southern buffer for Egypt, and a seafaring or desert-dwelling martial people.
Military Associations in the Prophets
From the prophets onward, Put is remembered not for agriculture or trade but for military service:
•Jeremiah 46:9 portrays Egyptian forces mustering allies: “Advance, O horses; race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth—Cush and Put bearing shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow”.
•Ezekiel 27:10 lists Put as professional soldiers hired by Tyre: “Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, serving as your men of war; they hung shields and helmets on you; they gave you splendor”.
•Ezekiel 30:5 predicts the collapse of Egypt’s coalition: “Cush and Put, Lud and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the lands allied will fall with them by the sword”.
•Nahum 3:9 recounts Nineveh’s onetime partner: “Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies”.
From these passages a pattern emerges: Put supplies mercenaries for regional powers. Though never the prime aggressor, Put’s warriors symbolize military might in service to others, demonstrating how peripheral nations can become entangled in the sins and judgments of larger empires.
Eschatological Reference
Ezekiel 38:5 casts Put into the future confederacy led by Gog: “Persia, Cush, and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets”. Here the historic role of Put as shield-bearer extends into an eschatological horizon, showing that the same martial identity can recur in end-time hostility against the people of God. The prophecy underscores divine sovereignty over all nations, whether ancient or future, and reveals that no alliance—however distant geographically—escapes His oversight.
Thematic Patterns and Theology
1. Judgment upon Military Pride: Each prophetic oracle that names Put links him to the downfall of an imperial power (Egypt, Tyre, Nineveh, Gog). The biblical writer thereby warns against misplaced reliance on human strength and foreign alliances.
2. Inclusion in Divine Accounting: From Genesis to Ezekiel every nation, even those at the margins of Israel’s experience, is recorded and addressed by the LORD. Put’s repeated mention affirms that God “has fixed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31); no people group is outside His concern.
3. Mercy amid Judgment: The genealogy inGenesis 10 is echoed in the multinational worship scene ofRevelation 7. Put’s descendants, though judged for their complicity with wicked empires, are not excluded from the scope of the gospel. Scripture’s consistent naming preserves their identity so that redemption history may ultimately include representatives “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Ministry Reflections and Application
• Evangelistic Vision: Recognizing that descendants of Put were among the first hearers at Pentecost (Acts 2 lists visitors from “Libya near Cyrene”) encourages modern believers to pray and labor for gospel advance in North Africa. The same region once famed for mercenaries now needs spiritual armor bearers (Ephesians 6:10-18).
• Warning Against False Security: Churches and nations alike should heed the lesson of Egypt and Tyre—when strength is outsourced to worldly allies instead of entrusted to the Lord, downfall follows.
• Hope for the Marginalized: The genealogy that records Put’s origin also records his future. God remembers the forgotten corners of the map, and His plan of salvation reaches them. Mission strategy should likewise include people groups who carry ancient biblical names but lack present gospel witness.
Key Biblical Cross-References
Genesis 10:6;1 Chronicles 1:8 – genealogical origin
Jeremiah 46:9 – mercenaries in Egypt’s army
Ezekiel 27:10 – hired soldiers for Tyre
Ezekiel 30:5 – coalition collapse with Egypt
Ezekiel 38:5 – eschatological alliance with Gog
Nahum 3:9 – support for Nineveh
Acts 2:10;Revelation 5:9; 7:9 – New Testament implications for the nations
Collectively these passages sketch Put as a North-African warrior people whose destiny intertwines with greater powers yet remains under the ultimate authority of the God who “makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 46:9).
Forms and Transliterations
וּפ֖וּט וּפ֤וּט וּפ֥וּט וּפוּט֙ ופוט פּ֣וּט פּ֥וּט פוט put pūṭ ū·p̄ūṭ uFut ūp̄ūṭ
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