Lexical Summary
Ashshuwr: Assyria
Original Word:אַשּׁוּר
Part of Speech:proper name, of a people and territory
Transliteration:Ashshuwr
Pronunciation:ash-SHOOR
Phonetic Spelling:(ash-shoor')
KJV: Asshur, Assur, Assyria, Assyrians See H0838
Word Origin:[apparently fromH833 (אָשַׁר אָשֵׁר - guide) (in the sense of successful)]
1. Ashshur, the second son of Shem
2. also his descendants and the country occupied by them (i.e. Assyria), its region and its empire
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Asshur, Assur, Assyria, Assyrians
Or iashshur {ash-shoor'}; apparently from'ashar (in the sense of successful); Ashshur, the second son of Shem; also his descendants and the country occupied by them (i.e. Assyria), its region and its empire -- Asshur, Assur, Assyria, Assyrians. See'ashur.
see HEBREW'ashar
see HEBREW'ashur
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Assyrian
Aššur, land & city Dl
Pa 252 COT on
Genesis 2:14; Persian
Athura, Syriac
; on the connection with name of god
Ašur, & with √ =
good, gracious, compare COT
l.c.; see also Jen
ZA, 1886, 1 f. Schr
ib. 209 f. Nö
ib. 268 f.)
Asshur as person, 2nd son of ShemGenesis 10:22 (P, in table of nations)1 Chronicles 1:17.
people of Asshur (often as invading army & even world-power)Numbers 24:22,24 (poem of Balaam)Hosea 12:2;Hosea 14:4;Isaiah 10:5;Isaiah 14:25;Isaiah 19:23 (twice in verse);Isaiah 19:24,25;Isaiah 23:13;Isaiah 30:31;Isaiah 31:8;Isaiah 52:4;Lamentations 5:6;Ezekiel 23:5;Ezekiel 27:23;Ezekiel 32:22 (here feminine)Zechariah 10:11;Psalm 83:9 perhaps read , compare2 Samuel 2:9 below ; or (ifPsalm 83 be late) regard (likeib.) as used because of ancient significance; sometimes personified as oneIsaiah 10:5;Ezekiel 31:3 (but strike out Co q. v.), compare alsoMicah 5:4;Micah 5:5;Zephaniah 2:13;2 Kings 19:32 =Isaiah 37:36;Ezekiel 16:28;Ezekiel 23:7,9,12,23.
land of AssyriaGenesis 2:14;Genesis 10:11;Hosea 5:13;Hosea 7:11;Hosea 8:9;Hosea 9:3;Hosea 10:6;Isaiah 11:11,16;Isaiah 19:23;Jeremiah 2:18,36;Micah 7:12;Zechariah 10:10;Genesis 25:18;Isaiah 19:23;2 Kings 15:29;2 Kings 17:6,23;2 Kings 18:11;Isaiah 7:18;Isaiah 27:13;Hosea 11:11;Micah 5:5.
especiallyIsaiah 8:4;Isaiah 10:12;Isaiah 20:1,4,6 (probably glossIsaiah 7:17,20;Isaiah 8:7)2 Kings 15:19 41t. 2Kings; 14t.Isaiah 36-38;1 Chronicles 5:6 () + 13 t. Chronicles; alsoJeremiah 50:17,18;Nahum 3:18;Ezra 4:2; (onlyEzra 6:22 of Persian or any king not strictly Assyrian); note alsoIsaiah 36:8,16 ( perhaps gloss, compare Di who holds same view as to2 Kings 18:23,31);2 Kings 19:11,17 =Isaiah 37:11,18; 2Chronicles 28:16; 30:6;Nehemiah 9:32.
Topical Lexicon
Identity and Scopeאַשּׁוּר refers to (1) the patriarch Asshur, son of Shem (Genesis 10:22); (2) the land of Asshur, developing into the nation and empire of Assyria; and (3) the people, kings, and armies of that empire. The name thereby spans personal genealogy, geography, and geo-political power across roughly two millennia of Old Testament history.
Centers and Borders
Assyria’s earliest capital was Aššur on the west bank of the Tigris; later seats of power included Calah (Nimrud), Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad), and Nineveh. Biblical writers treat “Asshur” as stretching from the mountains of Ararat in the north to the Euphrates in the west and to Elam and Media in the east (2 Kings 19:12;Isaiah 37:12;Nahum 1:1). Control over the Fertile Crescent made Assyria a determining force in the destinies of Israel, Judah, and surrounding nations.
Earliest Biblical Notices
1. Genealogical: “The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram” (1 Chronicles 1:17).
2. Territorial: “From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh” (Genesis 10:11). The verse identifies Nimrod’s expansion into Asshur’s territory, foreshadowing later imperial aspirations.
Royal Encounters
• Pul (Tiglath-Pileser III) exacts tribute from Menahem of Israel (2 Kings 15:19–20).
• Shalmaneser V besieges Samaria; Sargon II completes Israel’s exile (2 Kings 17:3–6).
• Sennacherib invades Judah during Hezekiah’s reign, but the Angel of the LORD strikes down 185,000 in one night (2 Kings 19:35).
• Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal appear inEzra 4:2, boasting of forced resettlements that mingled peoples in Samaria.
Assyria as the LORD’s Rod of Judgment
Isaiah 10:5–6: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger… I send him against a godless nation.” Though motivated by pride, Assyria fulfilled divine purpose by disciplining a covenant people who had forsaken the LORD. Comparable statements appear inHosea 11:5–6 andMicah 5:5–6.
Prophetic Oracles Against Assyria
•Isaiah 10:12–19 and 14:24–27 predict downfall for exalted arrogance.
• Nahum’s three-chapter oracle details Nineveh’s total collapse: “Nineveh has been laid waste; who will bemoan her?” (Nahum 3:7).
•Zephaniah 2:13–15 broadens the judgment motif, making Assyria a sign to all nations of Yahweh’s sovereignty.
Assyria in Salvation History
Remarkably, prophetic hope extends even to Assyria:
Isaiah 19:23-25 envisions “a highway from Egypt to Assyria… Israel will be a third partner… ‘Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.’” The passage anticipates a multi-national worshiping community, fulfilled ultimately in Messiah’s reign and foreshadowed at Pentecost when “visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts, Cretans and Arabs” heard the Gospel (Acts 2:10–11). Early church history records vibrant Assyrian-speaking Christian communities (the Church of the East), illustrating the ongoing fruit of this promise.
Theological Themes
1. Sovereign Use of Nations: Assyria demonstrates that world powers rise and fall at the LORD’s decree (Daniel 2:21).
2. Discipline and Mercy: Exile under Assyria chastened Israel yet preserved a remnant (Isaiah 10:20-22).
3. Universal Redemptive Reach: The same God who “breaks the Assyrian” (Isaiah 14:25) can later call Assyrians “the work of My hands” (Isaiah 19:25).
Key Passages for Study and Teaching
Genesis 10:11;2 Kings 15:19-20;2 Kings 17:3-6;2 Kings 19:35;Isaiah 7:18-20;Isaiah 10:5-19;Isaiah 19:23-25;Isaiah 36–37;Hosea 11:5-11;Micah 5:5-6;Nahum 1–3;Zephaniah 2:13-15;Jonah 1–4 (Assyria’s capital as object of mercy).
Practical Ministry Lessons
• National security, economic might, and cultural prestige cannot shield a society from divine accountability.
• God’s people must beware aligning with or trusting in oppressive world systems (Isaiah 30:1-5;Hosea 7:11).
• The Gospel’s reach extends to former enemies; therefore, missions and prayer should include modern descendants of the ancient Assyrian heartland (northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, western Iran, northeastern Syria).
• God can turn instruments of judgment into recipients of grace—motiving hope for even the hardest contexts.
Summary
אַשּׁוּר (Asshur/Assyria) embodies both the terror of divine judgment and the hope of universal blessing. From its emergence in Genesis to its fall announced by Nahum, Assyria moves across the biblical stage as a protagonist in God’s larger drama of holiness, justice, and mercy. Its account therefore admonishes, warns, and encourages the Church to trust the LORD of history, preach repentance, and anticipate the day when nations—including Assyria—will “beat their swords into plowshares” under Messiah’s peaceful reign (Isaiah 2:4).
Forms and Transliterations
אַ֠שּׁוּר אַ֭שּׁוּר אַשֻּׁ֑ר אַשּֽׁוּרָה׃ אַשּֽׁוּר׃ אַשּׁ֑וּר אַשּׁ֑וּרָה אַשּׁ֔וּר אַשּׁ֔וּרָה אַשּׁ֖וּר אַשּׁ֗וּר אַשּׁ֛וּר אַשּׁ֜וּר אַשּׁ֡וּר אַשּׁ֣וּר אַשּׁ֣וּר ׀ אַשּׁ֤וּר אַשּׁ֤וּר ׀ אַשּׁ֥וּר אַשּׁ֨וּר אַשּׁוּר֒ אַשּׁוּר֙ אַשּׁוּר֩ ׀ אַשּׁוּר֮ אשור אשור׃ אשורה אשורה׃ אשר בְּאַשּׁ֑וּר באשור וְאַשּׁ֑וּר וְאַשּׁ֔וּר וְאַשּׁ֖וּר וּבְאַשּׁ֖וּר וּלְאַשּׁ֑וּר וּמֵֽאַשּׁ֖וּר ואשור ובאשור ולאשור ומאשור לְאַשּׁ֣וּר לאשור מֵֽאַשּׁ֑וּר מֵֽאַשּׁ֔וּר מֵאַשּֽׁוּר׃ מֵאַשּׁ֨וּר מאשור מאשור׃ ’aš·šū·rāh ’aš·šur ’aš·šūr ’aššur ’aššūr ’aššūrāh ashShur ashShurah bə’aššūr bə·’aš·šūr beashShur lə’aššūr lə·’aš·šūr leashShur mê’aššūr mê·’aš·šūr meashShur ū·ḇə·’aš·šūr ū·lə·’aš·šūr ū·mê·’aš·šūr ūḇə’aššūr ūlə’aššūr uleashShur ūmê’aššūr umeashShur uveashShur veashShur wə’aššūr wə·’aš·šūr
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