Jaghut and Jeush: What the Bible Says About the Name, the Deity Yaġūṯ, and the Question of Ancient Connections
The biblical name Jeush appears in several genealogical lists, especially in connection with Edomite lineage (Genesis 36:5, 14, 18; 1 Chronicles 1:35). Because the name resembles similar forms found in Arabian, Nabataean, and Thamudic inscriptions, a small number of scholars suggested a connection between the biblical Jeush and the Arabian deity Yaġūṯ (also written yʿwt or yʿwṯ). These proposals attempt to understand whether Jeush carries a theophoric element referring to a pagan god, whether the biblical name preserves traces of pre-Israelite religion, or whether the similarities are superficial.
Your provided text explains why scholars proposed this connection and also why the identification ultimately fails. According to the Bible, Jeush is only a human figure, not a demythologized form of Yaġūṯ. Understanding how these names function across ancient cultures helps clarify what the biblical text actually teaches and how it fits within the wider story of God’s people.
1. Why Some Scholars Proposed a Connection Between Jeush and Yaġūṯ
A small number of early scholars speculated that the biblical name Yĕʿûš (Jeush) might be linked to the Arabian lion god Yaġūṯ, meaning “the protector,” and to the Nabataean deity yʿwt (Robertson Smith 1912). This proposal rested on several observations.
A. The presence of similar names across cultures
Nabataean inscriptions contain a divine name yʿwt.
Thamudic inscriptions refer to a similar deity yʿwṯ.
Islamic traditions remember a pre-Islamic deity named Yaġūṯ among tribes in Yemen.
The resemblance of the names prompted some scholars to consider whether Jeush preserved the same divine element.
B. Islamic texts connect Yaġūṯ to antediluvian idolatry
Sura 71:20–25 and Ibn al-Kalbi’s Book of Idols describe Yaġūṯ as one of the idols worshiped by the contemporaries of Noah. In these traditions:
Yaġūṯ is an idol from early humanity.
The name means “he helps,” possibly functioning as a nickname.
The deity is connected to the region of Ǧuraš in Yemen.
Because Jeush appears in an early genealogical context in Genesis 36, some envisioned a connection between pre-Israelite Arabian worship and the Edomite name.
C. Jeush as a possible theophoric name
Because many ancient Near Eastern names include divine elements, scholars asked whether Jeush might be:
A name invoking a deity (“X helps”)
A shortened form (hypocoristicon) referring to a god
A direct parallel to Yaġūṯ
This is how the theory developed, though it remained speculative.
2. Why the Identification Between Jeush and Yaġūṯ Does Not Work
Your supplied entry explains why the scholarly community does not accept the identification. Several lines of evidence argue against the connection.
A. The biblical Jeush is consistently treated as a human being
The Old Testament includes four individuals named Jeush, not all of them Edomites. There is no hint of divine identity, mythology, or cultic background.
B. The linguistic similarity is superficial
Although the consonants of Jeush (y-ʿ-š) resemble those of Yaġūṯ (y-ʿ-w-th), the forms differ enough that a direct link is unlikely. This is especially true because:
Jeush fits well within Hebrew naming patterns.
Names in Hebrew often appear with shortened elements for God (hypocoristica).
This makes the Hebrew explanations more convincing than borrowing from Arabian religion.
C. South Arabian deities rarely appear in biblical onomastics
While Israel’s neighbors influenced language and culture, the specific regions associated with Yaġūṯ—Maḏḥiǧ and Ǧuraš in Yemen—lie far outside the direct sphere of Edomite and Israelite contact.
D. Better explanations exist for the name Jeush
Two interpretations are more likely:
A hypocoristic form meaning “(God) helps” (Noth).
A shortened form for “(God) does” or “acts” (Lemaire).
These explanations fit Hebrew naming patterns without resorting to foreign deities.
E. The proposed connection depends on one fragile link
The entire theory rests on the assumption that Jeush must reflect Yaġūṯ because the names look similar. But without solid linguistic or historical evidence, the proposal remains unlikely.
As the DDD entry concludes, an identification of Jeush with the deity Yaġūṯ is improbable.
3. What the Bible Actually Communicates About Jeush
Because Jeush appears primarily in genealogical lists, the Bible’s concerns differ from those of mythological interpretation. Understanding Jeush in context reveals what Scripture emphasizes.
A. Jeush participates in the genealogical structure of Israel and Edom
Names in Genesis 36 highlight the relationship between Jacob and Esau’s descendants. Jeush appears as:
An Edomite descendant in Genesis 36
A name associated with tribal development
An individual belonging to the unfolding history of the nations around Israel
In the Bible, Edom plays an important role in the story of conflict between the chosen line and the surrounding peoples.
B. Genealogies stress human history, not divine mythology
The genealogies in Genesis and Chronicles emphasize:
Real families
Real historical relationships
Human social structures
The unfolding of God’s promises
The biblical text does not treat Jeush as mythological or as a reflection of a deity.
C. Biblical theology highlights God’s sovereignty in human history
Whether describing Israel, Edom, Moab, or other peoples, Scripture consistently portrays:
God ruling over the nations
God raising and lowering kingdoms
God fulfilling promises through ordinary people
Names like Jeush participate in that pattern.
4. How Jeush Fits Within the Bible’s Larger Story
Viewing Jeush within broader biblical theology clarifies the significance of the genealogical data.
A. Genealogies show God’s faithfulness
Even names belonging to non-Israelite lines demonstrate that God supervises human history and its unfolding generations.
B. Edom’s story anticipates later conflict
The Bible often uses Edom as a symbol of opposition (Numbers 20; Amos 1; Obadiah). Jeush’s lineage participates in this larger theme.
C. God’s purposes include the nations
Even as genealogies trace tension between Israel and Edom, the prophets foresee a day when the nations—Edom included—will be drawn into the reign of God through the work of the Messiah.
D. The Gospel fulfills the history embedded in these genealogies
In the New Testament, Christ becomes the king over all nations. The kingship rejected by Edom, Israel, and other peoples finds its fulfillment in him. Names like Jeush, which represent ordinary human history, stand beneath the larger story of God gathering the nations under Christ’s rule in the last days.
E. Ancient deities fade; the God of Scripture remains
Cultic figures like Yaġūṯ appear in inscriptions and later Islamic memory, but in the Bible:
Jeush is mortal
Edom is historical
God alone is sovereign
The contrast reinforces Scripture’s consistent message: the LORD rules the nations, not the gods of surrounding cultures.
5. Why Understanding Jaghut (Yaġūṯ) Matters for Biblical Readers Today
Even though the identification is rejected, examining it helps modern readers.
A. It clarifies how ancient Near Eastern names function.
Names often carried meanings but did not necessarily reflect worship practices.
B. It prevents reading mythology into Scripture.
The Bible should be read on its own terms, not forced into theories built on distant inscriptions or unrelated deities.
C. It strengthens understanding of genealogies.
Lists like those in Genesis 36 and 1 Chronicles remind believers that God works through real people in real history.
D. It reinforces trust in Scripture’s accuracy.
When anthropology, linguistics, and biblical theology converge, they affirm the Bible’s portrait of human history rather than mythological adaptation.
E. It shows a contrast between temporary gods and the eternal God.
Ancient deities come and go. The God of Israel remains the Creator who guides history toward the fulfillment revealed in Christ.
Bible verses about names, nations, and God’s sovereignty
“These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).” (Genesis 36:1)
“By these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” (Genesis 10:32)
“The Most High gave to the nations their inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 32:8)
“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.” (Psalm 33:10)
“From one man he made every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” (Acts 17:26)
“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof.” (Psalm 24:1)
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you.” (Psalm 86:9)
“For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:28)
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.” (Revelation 11:15)
“In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 22:18)
