Shuah is the name of one of four minor Biblical figures. It is sometimes used as the name of a fifth. Their names are different in Hebrew, but they were all transliterated as "Shuah" in the King James Version of the Bible.
Genesis 25
Shuah (, "ditch; swimming; humiliation"Hitchcock's Bible Dictionary: Shuah or "sinks down"Brown-Driver-Briggs) was the sixth son of Abraham (the patriarch of the Israelites) and Keturah, whom Abraham had wed after the death of Sarah. He was the youngest of Keturah's sons; the other sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, and Ishbak.
Genesis 38
Shuah or Shua (, "opulence"Brown-Driver-Briggs or "cry for help"Strong's Concordance) was a certain Canaanite, whose unnamed daughter marries Judah. He was thereby also the grandfather of Er, Onan, Shelah.
The Targum translates "Canaanite man" as "merchant", and Rashi refers to this. In the Talmud, Pesachim 50a, there is a discussion explaining this translation.
In the King James Version, Genesis 38:2 reads "And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah ..." This is ambiguous as to who is named Shuah, the Canaanite or his daughter.The Hebrew says "his name", and Genesis 38:12 refers to the death of Shuah's daughter. This has led some to say that Shuah was Judah's wife.
Shuah in Greek is , transliterated Sava.From the Septuagint and Brenton . The Septuagint is explicit that Sava was the daughter of the Canaanite man and the wife of Judah.
The reference to Judah's wife in Genesis 38:12 refers to her as the "daughter of Shuah", or "bat-Shuah" in Hebrew. This has led some to take Bat-Shuah (and variants) as her actual name. A midrashic tradition says her name was Aliyath. Chapter 45:4,29 Bat-Shuah is also an alternative name for Bathsheba, wife of Judah's descendant, King David.
1 Chronicles 4
Shuah or Shuhah () is a descendant of Judah. No gender or father is named, just a brother Chelub and his descendants. Ralbag in his commentaryמקראות גדולות דברי הימים א says that Shuhah is the same as Hushah (חוּשָׁה) listed earlier in the genealogy. Nave says Shuhah is "probably the same" as Hushah.Nave's Topical Index
Shuah in Greek is ᾿Ασχὰ, transliterated Ascha.From the Septuagint and Brenton, . The Septuagint states that Chaleb was Ascha's father.
1 Chronicles 7
Shuah or Shua (, "wealth"Strong's Concordance) was a great-granddaughter of Asher. She was the daughter of Heber, who was a son of Beriah, a son of Asher. Her brothers were Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham.
Shuah in Greek is Σωλὰ, transliterated Sola.From the Septuagint and Brenton .
References