The name Asshur is one of the most historically significant names recorded in the Bible, as it refers both to a direct descendant of Noah and to the mighty empire that arose from his line. Asshur is listed in the Table of Nations in the book of Genesis, a genealogical record tracing the origins of the peoples of the post-Flood world.
The name Asshur (sometimes rendered Ashur) is of Hebrew origin and, though its exact etymology is debated, it is inextricably linked with Assyria, as the word in the original Hebrew text can refer to the person, the nation, or the capital city.
The Son of Shem
Asshur is first introduced as part of the lineage of Shem, one of Noah’s three sons. This placement is key, as it identifies the Assyrian people as part of the Semitic nations, sharing a common ancestry with the Israelites, the Arameans, and the Arabs.
The King James Version states his relationship clearly:
The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. (Genesis 10:22)
The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. (1 Chronicles 1:17)
The Founder of Great Cities
The identity of Asshur becomes complex in the following verses, where the narrative describes the founding of the great Mesopotamian cities. Depending on the interpretation of the original Hebrew, the passage can be read as either the Hamitic warrior Nimrod going into the land of Asshur (Assyria), or Asshur himself leaving the land of Shinar to establish his own kingdom.
The KJV translation explicitly credits Asshur with the foundational work:
Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. (Genesis 10:11-12)
This account names Asshur as the builder of four major cities, most notably Nineveh, which would later become the capital and epicenter of the vast Assyrian Empire, confirming Asshur as the progenitor of the Assyrian people.
The Legacy as a Nation
Though Asshur the man is only mentioned briefly, the nation that took his name—Assyria—is one of the most frequently mentioned foreign powers in the Old Testament. The Assyrian Empire was notorious for its military might and cruelty, and it played a decisive role in the history of Israel and Judah, acting as a tool of divine judgment:
- The Assyrians under Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser carried the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity (2 Kings 17:6).
- The prophets, such as Isaiah and Nahum, frequently warned of Assyria’s power and later prophesied its utter destruction, which eventually came to pass when Nineveh fell in 612 B.C.
Thus, Asshur the ancestor symbolizes the power, judgment, and eventual downfall of the formidable empire that bore his name, underscoring the sovereignty of God over all the nations of the earth.