Lexical Summary Uts: Uz Original Word: עוּץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Uz Apparently from uwts; consultation; Uts, a son of Aram, also a Seirite, and the regions settled by them. -- Uz. see HEBREW uwts NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom uts Definition a son of Aram, also a son of Nahor, also an Edomite, also perhaps a district E. of Pal. NASB Translation Uz (8). Brown-Driver-Briggs עוּץ proper name 1. masculine a. (eldest) 'son' of Aram Genesis 10:23 (P), = 'son' of Shem 1 Chronicles 1:17, ᵐ5 Ως, ᵐ5L Chronicles Ουζ. b. eldest 'son' of Nahor Genesis 22:21 (J), A Ωξ, ᵐ5L Ωζ. c. Edomite name Genesis 36:28 = 1 Chronicles 1:42, ᵐ5 Ως, ᵐ5L Ους 2. location (= 1. a, b, possibly also c), מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ הָעוּץ Jeremiah 25:20 (ᵐ5 omitted); בְּאֶרֶץעֿוּץ Job 1:1 (home of Job), ᵐ5 Αυσιτις; Lamentations 4:21 (strike out עוּץ ᵐ5 compare Bu and references); on Uz as vague name for east country see especially Buix. f.; DlPa 259, ZKF ii. 87 ff. puts in Hauran, or north (northeast) therefrom, = Assyrian Uƒƒu, but dubious with name עוּץ RSK 261 compare Arabic proper name, of divinity. Topical Lexicon Genealogical Background Uz appears in three distinct family lines, marking it as a recurring ancestral name in early Scripture. In Genesis 10:23, Uz is listed as the firstborn of Aram, a son of Shem; thus the name is tied to the post-Flood dispersion of nations. Genesis 22:21 records another Uz, the firstborn of Abraham’s brother Nahor, linking the name to the patriarchal setting of Mesopotamia. A third bearer of the name surfaces among the Edomite chiefs, “Uz, the son of Dishan” (Genesis 36:28; 1 Chronicles 1:42), situating the clan among the sons of Seir. These multiple genealogical strands show that Uz became a geographical and familial marker in both Aramean and Edomite spheres, underscoring the wide reach of the descendants of Shem and Esau. Geographical Identification “Now there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job” (Job 1:1). The book of Job does not specify borders, yet the surrounding narrative, coupled with later prophetic references, places Uz east or southeast of Israel, adjacent to Edom and Arabia. Jeremiah includes “all the kings of the land of Uz” among those forced to drink the cup of divine wrath (Jeremiah 25:20); Lamentations addresses the “daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz” (Lamentations 4:21). These passages confirm that by the exilic period Uz was identified with Edomite territory, perhaps on the fringe of the Arabian Desert, controlling caravan routes between Mesopotamia, Edom, and northern Arabia. The terrain—arid yet fertile in pockets—offered pasturage for the large herds attributed to Job, matching the patriarch’s wealth “in livestock, servants, and household” (cf. Job 1:3). Land of Uz in Wisdom Literature Setting Job outside Israel serves a theological purpose: the fear of the LORD and the problem of suffering transcend national boundaries. Job, though a non-Israelite, offers sacrifices, acknowledges God’s sovereignty, and is ultimately vindicated, demonstrating that righteousness is reckoned apart from ethnic lineage. The narrative also provides a foil to Israel’s wisdom tradition; the counsel of Job’s friends mirrors conventional retribution theology, while the LORD reveals a deeper wisdom grounded in His creative authority. Thus Uz becomes a classroom for believers to learn that faithfulness is measured not by geography but by heartfelt reverence. Prophetic and Eschatological Overtones Jeremiah 25 places Uz among the broader nations judged alongside Judah. The same divine cup touches covenant people and Gentile realms alike, affirming God’s universal jurisdiction. Lamentations 4:21 turns judgment into irony: Edom laughs at Zion’s fall, yet dwelling in Uz will not spare her from the coming cup. In both texts Uz signifies a neighbor whose destiny is intertwined with Israel’s; geopolitical distance offers no refuge from God’s purposes. Lessons for Faith and Ministry 1. God’s universal reach: Whether in patriarchal genealogies, wisdom stories, or prophetic oracles, Uz demonstrates that the LORD governs all peoples. Ministry must therefore carry the gospel across cultural and national lines. Forms and Transliterations הָע֑וּץ העוץ וְע֥וּץ ועוץ ע֑וּץ ע֖וּץ ע֥וּץ עוץ ‘ūṣ hā‘ūṣ hā·‘ūṣ haUtz utz veUtz wə‘ūṣ wə·‘ūṣLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 10:23 HEB: וּבְנֵ֖י אֲרָ֑ם ע֥וּץ וְח֖וּל וְגֶ֥תֶר NAS: of Aram [were] Uz and Hul KJV: of Aram; Uz, and Hul, INT: the sons of Aram Uz and Hul and Gether Genesis 22:21 Genesis 36:28 1 Chronicles 1:17 1 Chronicles 1:42 Job 1:1 Jeremiah 25:20 Lamentations 4:21 8 Occurrences |
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, so WeHeid. 2, 146; against this NöZMG xi (1886), 183 f., but see reply RSSem i. 43.