5780. Uts
Lexical Summary
Uts: Uz

Original Word: עוּץ
Part of Speech: proper name; location
Transliteration: `Uwts
Pronunciation: oots
Phonetic Spelling: (oots)
KJV: Uz
NASB: Uz
Word Origin: [apparently from H5779 (עוּץ - devise)]

1. consultation
2. Uts, a son of Aram, also a Seirite, and the regions settled by them

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 Origin
from 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. , so WeHeid. 2, 146; against this NöZMG xi (1886), 183 f., but see reply RSSem i. 43.

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.
2. Suffering and integrity: Job’s life in Uz models persevering faith. Believers facing hardship can look to his example and the ultimate vindication God provides.
3. Humility before God’s mysteries: The dialogues in Uz caution against simplistic explanations for suffering. Pastoral care should avoid hasty judgments and instead foster patient trust in God’s inscrutable wisdom.
4. Divine justice for all nations: Jeremiah and Lamentations remind the Church to proclaim both salvation and judgment, assuring that every land—Uz included—will answer to the righteous King.

Forms and Transliterations
הָע֑וּץ העוץ וְע֥וּץ ועוץ ע֑וּץ ע֖וּץ ע֥וּץ עוץ ‘ūṣ hā‘ūṣ hā·‘ūṣ haUtz utz veUtz wə‘ūṣ wə·‘ūṣ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman'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
HEB: אֶת־ ע֥וּץ בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־
NAS: Uz his firstborn and Buz
KJV: Huz his firstborn, and Buz
INT: Uz his firstborn and Buz

Genesis 36:28
HEB: בְנֵֽי־ דִישָׁ֖ן ע֥וּץ וַאֲרָֽן׃
NAS: are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
KJV: of Dishan [are] these; Uz, and Aran.
INT: are the sons of Dishan Uz and Aran

1 Chronicles 1:17
HEB: וְל֣וּד וַאֲרָ֑ם וְע֥וּץ וְח֖וּל וְגֶ֥תֶר
NAS: Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether
KJV: and Aram, and Uz, and Hul,
INT: Lud Aram Uz Hul Gether

1 Chronicles 1:42
HEB: בְּנֵ֥י דִישׁ֖וֹן ע֥וּץ וַאֲרָֽן׃ פ
NAS: The sons of Dishan [were] Uz and Aran.
KJV: The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.
INT: the sons Dishon Uz and Aran

Job 1:1
HEB: הָיָ֥ה בְאֶֽרֶץ־ ע֖וּץ אִיּ֣וֹב שְׁמ֑וֹ
NAS: in the land of Uz whose name
KJV: in the land of Uz, whose name
INT: become the land of Uz was Job name

Jeremiah 25:20
HEB: מַלְכֵ֖י אֶ֣רֶץ הָע֑וּץ וְאֵ֗ת כָּל־
NAS: of the land of Uz, all
KJV: of the land of Uz, and all the kings
INT: the kings of the land of Uz all the kings

Lamentations 4:21
HEB: ק) בְּאֶ֣רֶץ ע֑וּץ גַּם־ עָלַ֙יִךְ֙
NAS: in the land of Uz; [But] the cup
KJV: in the land of Uz; the cup
INT: abide the land of Uz well and

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5780
8 Occurrences


hā·‘ūṣ — 1 Occ.
‘ūṣ — 6 Occ.
wə·‘ūṣ — 1 Occ.

5779
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