Word Study for H7770 (שׁוּעַ)

Shûwaʻ /shoo'-ah/ Ask about this word

MeaningShua, a Canaanite

KJV usageShua, Shuah.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Shûwaʻ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word Shûwaʻ, represented by H7770, is a proper name identifying a Canaanite man. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. The name serves to establish the identity of a specific individual within the narrative of Judah's life.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H7770 is used exclusively in the context of Judah's family. Judah sees the daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shuah and takes her as a wife Genesis 38:2. Later in the same chapter, the narrative notes the death of this woman, referring to her as "the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife" Genesis 38:12. The name is therefore used to identify Judah's father-in-law, marking the origin of his first wife.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the story involving Shûwaʻ:

H1323 bath (a daughter): This term is central to the identity of Shuah, who is only known as the father of Judah's wife. She is consistently referred to as the "daughter" of Shuah Genesis 38:2.
H802 ʼishshâh (a woman; wife): The daughter of Shuah becomes Judah's "wife," a relationship established in Genesis 38:2 and reaffirmed by the description of her death Genesis 38:12.
H4191 mûwth (to die): This word marks the conclusion of the life of Shuah's daughter, as the account states that Judah's wife "died" Genesis 38:12, an event which precedes Judah's subsequent actions in the chapter.

Theological Significance

The narrative significance of H7770 is tied to its role in establishing lineage and context within the story of Judah.

Canaanite Lineage: The text explicitly identifies Shuah as a "certain Canaanite" Genesis 38:2, which defines the background of the woman Judah marries.
Paternal Identification: Shuah's name is the sole identifier for his daughter. She is not named personally but is instead known as "the daughter of Shuah," linking her identity directly to her father Genesis 38:12.
Narrative Framing: The mention of Shuah and his daughter frames a specific period in Judah's life, beginning with his marriage to a Canaanite woman and concluding with her death.

Summary

In summary, H7770 is a proper name that, while infrequent, provides a crucial piece of information in the Old Testament. It identifies the Canaanite father of Judah's first wife, clarifying her lineage. The use of Shûwaʻ demonstrates how even a minor character's name is essential for establishing relationships and providing key contextual details within the biblical account.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

שׁוּעַ
שׁוּעַ

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in Genesis — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.