Ashhur - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ASHHUR

ash'-ur (ashchur, the King James Version Ashur):

The "father of Tekoa" (1 Chronicles 2:24; 4:5), probably the founder of the village. The original meaning of the name is the "man of Horus," Ashurites (ha-'ashuri). This name occurs in the list of Ish-bosheth's subjects (2 Samuel 2:9).

The Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions read ha-geshuri, "the Geshurites," designating the small kingdom to the South or Southeast of Damascus. This reading, though adopted by Ewald, Thenius and Wellhausen, is untenable, for during the reign of Ish-bosheth Geshur was ruled by its own king Talmai, whose daughter was married to David (2 Samuel 3:3; 13:37). Furthermore Geshur was too far away from the rest of Ishbosheth's territory. A more consistent reading is ha- 'asheri, as given in the Targum of Jonathan and accepted by Kohler, Klost, Kirkpatrick and Budde, "those of the house of Asher" (compare Judges 1:32). The term would, then, denote the country to the West of Jordan above Jezreel.

Samuel Cohon

Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'ASHHUR'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915.