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Rosh

Rosh (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ, romanized: ''rōʾš'') is a Hebrew term meaning "head," "chief," or "beginning," with occurrences in the Hebrew Bible both as a personal name and potentially as a designation for a geographical or national entity.^[1] In Genesis 46:21, Rosh is listed as a son of Benjamin, making it a personal name within the tribal genealogy of Israel.^[2] Its most debated usage appears in the Book of Ezekiel (38:2–3; 39:1), where it describes Gog as the "prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal" (or "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" in some translations), sparking interpretations of Rosh as either an adjectival title meaning "chief" or a proper noun referring to an ancient people or land.^[3] Historically and textually, Rosh has been interpreted in ancient translations like the Septuagint and Vulgate, often rendering it as a leadership title rather than a place.^[1] In modern scholarship and theology, particularly in eschatological discussions of Ezekiel's prophecy, Rosh is sometimes identified with ancient tribes north of Israel, such as the Rus or Scythians, leading to the controversial "Russia" hypothesis linking it phonetically and geographically to modern Russia.^[4] This debate continues, with critical views emphasizing linguistic and contextual analysis over speculative geopolitics. The term's ambiguity underscores broader themes in biblical exegesis regarding proper names, titles, and prophetic symbolism.

Etymology and Linguistic Background

Hebrew Origins

The Hebrew word rosh (רֹאשׁ), pronounced /roʃ/ in Tiberian vocalization, functions primarily as a masculine noun denoting "head" in both literal and figurative senses, encompassing "chief," "top," "beginning," or "first."^[5]^[6] This term derives from the Proto-Semitic root *raʔš-, which broadly conveys concepts of primality, leadership, or summit across Semitic languages, with cognates such as Akkadian rēšum (head or top) and Arabic raʔs (head).^[7] Etymologically, it stems from an unused root possibly implying "to shake," reflecting the head's prominence as the most easily moved part of the body.^[5]^[8] Morphologically, rosh is a segolate masculine noun, with a plural form rāʾšīm (רָאשִׁים), and it integrates guttural influences on adjacent vowels due to the middle radical ʿayin (א).^[9] Related derivations include compounds like ro'sh gadol (great head/chief), emphasizing leadership roles without altering the core root.^[10] In non-proper noun contexts within ancient Hebrew texts, rosh appears frequently—nearly 600 times—to denote primacy, as in the phrase "head of months" (rosh chodashim), tying to calendrical or sequential beginnings.^[8]^[11] Such usages underscore its foundational role in expressing hierarchy or initiation, occasionally extending to proper names in later scriptural applications.^[10]

Biblical Usage of the Term

In the Hebrew Bible, the term rosh (רֹאשׁ) functions predominantly as a common noun, appearing 599 times across the Tanakh and denoting concepts such as "head," "top," "beginning," or "chief."^[12] This high frequency underscores its centrality in biblical Hebrew vocabulary, where it serves as a versatile element in descriptive and relational expressions. As a masculine singular noun, rosh often integrates into broader syntactic structures, reflecting the language's preference for concise noun chains to convey hierarchy, sequence, or origin. Syntactically, rosh commonly participates in construct phrases (smikhut), where it links with a following noun to form a genitive-like relationship, indicating primacy or initiation. For instance, the phrase rosh shanah ("head of the year") exemplifies this usage, denoting the onset or principal point of a temporal unit.^[13] Similarly, in census contexts, rosh appears in expressions like "head of their fathers' houses" to signify familial or tribal leadership, as seen in organizational directives.^[5] These constructions highlight rosh's role in establishing relational primacy without requiring additional prepositions, a hallmark of Semitic grammar. Poetically and idiomatically, rosh extends beyond literal anatomy to metaphors of elevation, authority, and precedence. In lyric passages, it evokes lifted "heads" as symbols of triumph or divine access, such as gates raising their heads to welcome glory.^[8] Idiomatic applications further emphasize leadership or summation, portraying rosh as the "head" of households or groups to denote collective representation.^[14] Such usages enrich biblical imagery, blending physical and abstract notions of superiority. The common noun status of rosh carries into post-biblical Hebrew, where Mishnaic texts preserve its syntactic flexibility and metaphorical depth, ensuring linguistic continuity from the Tanakh era.^[15] This continuity influences scholarly discussions on ambiguous readings in prophetic literature, where the term's everyday adjectival or nominal roles complicate potential proper noun interpretations.^[16]

References in the Hebrew Bible

Appearance in Genesis

In the Masoretic Text of Genesis 46:21, Rosh is explicitly named as one of the ten sons of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, listed in the following order: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.^[17]^[18] This verse forms part of a comprehensive genealogical inventory in Genesis 46:8–27, which enumerates Jacob's descendants who accompany him to Egypt during the famine, totaling seventy persons in the Masoretic tradition.^[18]^[19] The inclusion of Rosh in this list underscores the establishment of Benjamin's lineage, which later develops into one of the twelve tribes of Israel, highlighting the foundational role of these figures in the pre-Exodus narrative of Israelite origins.^[18] As the seventh son mentioned, Rosh represents a direct progenitor in Benjamin's immediate family, contributing to the tribal structure that shapes subsequent biblical history.^[19] Textual variants appear in the Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, where the structure of Benjamin's descendants differs: the primary sons are Bela (Bala), Becher (Bochor), and Ashbel (Asbel), with Rosh (rendered as Ros) listed as a son of Bela alongside Gera, Naaman, Ehi (Anchis), and Muppim (Mamphim), rather than a direct son of Benjamin.^[20]^[18] This alteration reflects interpretive expansions in the LXX, which totals seventy-five descendants overall by treating some names as grandsons, though the Masoretic Text remains the primary Hebrew authority for the direct listing of Rosh.^[18]

Appearance in Ezekiel

In the Book of Ezekiel, the term "rosh" occurs within the prophetic oracle against Gog, specifically in Ezekiel 38:2–3 and 39:1, where it describes the antagonist as "Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince (nesi') of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal."^[16] These verses form the introduction to the prophecy, commanding the prophet to address Gog directly: in 38:2, "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him"; in 38:3, "and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal"; and in 39:1, "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal." The Hebrew phrasing uses the construct form "nesi' rosh meshekh ve-tuv'al," placing "rosh" in immediate apposition to the other elements without an initial conjunction, consistent with Hebrew enumerations of multiple genitives following a construct noun.^[16] These occurrences are embedded in the broader literary structure of Ezekiel chapters 38–39, which depict an eschatological invasion of a restored Israel by a northern coalition led by Gog during a time of peace.^[21] The oracle unfolds in two main parts: chapter 38 focuses on the divine summons of Gog and his allies—including Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah—to plunder Israel like a storm from the far north (Ezekiel 38:4–16), while chapter 39 details the catastrophic defeat of the invaders, with their bodies buried in the Valley of Hamon-gog and weapons used as fuel for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9–20). Within this framework, "rosh," Meshech (potentially linked to the Mushki of ancient Anatolia), and Tubal (associated with the Tabal region) are presented as territories under Gog's princely rule, emphasizing a multinational horde orchestrated by God to reveal His holiness among the nations (Ezekiel 38:16, 23).^[16] The syntax of "rosh" introduces grammatical ambiguity in the Hebrew, as it could function either as an adjective modifying "prince" (meaning "chief" or "head prince") or as an independent proper noun denoting a specific entity in parallel with Meshech and Tubal.^[22] Hebrew word order typically places adjectives after the noun they modify, and the lack of the definite article (ha-) before "rosh"—which would be expected for the common noun "head"—supports its potential as a proper name in construct with the preceding "prince."^[16] Moreover, the structure adheres to standard Hebrew principles for compound genitives without intervening adjectives, as articulated in Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (section 154a), where no undisputed examples exist of adjectives breaking the construct chain between a noun and its recta.^[16] This ambiguity arises from the fluidity of "rosh" as a homonym, paralleling its occasional use as a personal name in Genesis, though here it serves the prophetic context without direct interpretive overlap.

Historical and Textual Interpretations

As a Personal Name

In rabbinic exegesis, "Rosh" is regarded as the literal personal name of a son of Benjamin, appearing in the biblical genealogy of Genesis 46:21 alongside siblings such as Bela, Becher, and Ashbel. This interpretation emphasizes Rosh as a historical individual within the patriarchal lineage descending to Egypt, without extending the term to prophetic or collective symbolism. Medieval commentators like Rashi reinforce this view in their gloss on the verse, identifying Rosh straightforwardly as one of Benjamin's offspring; Rashi further interprets the names symbolically to reflect the tribe's future destiny. Other genealogies, such as Numbers 26:38 (Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram) and 1 Chronicles 8:1–5 (Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, Rapha), vary and omit Rosh, possibly indicating textual differences or traditions treating some figures as grandsons rather than direct sons, underscoring interpretive flexibility in personal nomenclature.^[10]^[5] Midrashic traditions further explore Rosh's role symbolically within the tribe of Benjamin, portraying the name as denoting "head" or primacy to signify leadership qualities inherent to Benjamin's descendants. For example, interpretations link the roster of Benjamin's sons, including Rosh, to themes in Joseph's experiences in Egypt, with "Rosh" evoking ideas of authority and tribal prominence. This leadership motif resonates with the tribe's later prominence, as Benjamin's lineage produced King Saul, Israel's first monarch, whose ancestry traces back to the Benjaminite clans. From an onomastic perspective, "Rosh" functions as a descriptive or theophoric name rooted in the Semitic root r-'-š, connoting "head," "chief," or "first," a usage common across ancient Near Eastern cultures. Cognates appear in Akkadian as rēšum, denoting a head or leader, and similar forms in Ugaritic and Phoenician, indicating that such names often highlighted status or divine favor in personal identities during the biblical period.^[10]^[5]

As a Geographical or National Entity

In pre-modern Jewish and classical interpretations, "rosh" in Ezekiel 38:2-3 and 39:1 was often understood as denoting a distinct nation or region allied with Gog of Magog, positioned among northern powers threatening Israel. This view emphasized its role as a proper noun rather than the common Hebrew term for "head" or "chief," aligning it with other biblical names like Meshech and Tubal in a prophetic coalition from the "far north" (Ezekiel 38:6, 15).^[16] Ancient identifications frequently associated Rosh with nomadic or tribal groups in regions north of Israel, including Scythian and related Indo-European peoples inhabiting Anatolia, the Caucasus, and areas beyond the Black Sea. The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews (1.6.1), linked post-flood descendants from the Table of Nations—such as Magog, with whom Rosh is allied in Ezekiel—to the Scythians, describing them as fierce nomads who migrated to the northern steppes after the flood.^[23] Assyrian inscriptions from the eighth to seventh centuries BCE further attest to a land or people called Raši or Rēšu, located near the upper Tigris River bordering Elam and Media (Ellipi), portraying it as a territory subject to Mesopotamian kings and potentially connected to northern Aramean or nomadic groups.^[16] These references supported viewing Rosh as an identifiable geopolitical entity in Ezekiel's era, east-northeast of Israel but part of broader northern alliances. Medieval Jewish textual and artistic traditions reinforced Rosh's depiction as a northern nation allied with Gog, often mapping it proximate to Togarmah (associated with Armenia) in prophetic eschatology. Illuminated manuscripts like the fourteenth-century Madrid Haggadah illustrated the Gog-Magog invasion with symbolic geography, placing Rosh among barbarian hordes from the Caucasian and Anatolian frontiers, emphasizing their role as distant, hostile powers in end-times scenarios. Such representations drew on earlier rabbinic exegesis, which situated Gog's confederacy in remote northern territories to underscore divine protection over Israel. Linguistic analysis in pre-modern sources suggested ties between "rosh" and ancient tribal names, such as the Roxolani (or Rhoxolani), a Sarmatian people described by classical authors like Strabo and Tacitus as dwelling north of the Black Sea in the first centuries BCE–CE. These nomads, kin to the Scythians chronicled by Herodotus in his Histories (4.1–142), were known for raiding southward toward the Mediterranean world, mirroring the invasive imagery in Ezekiel. This interpretation of Rosh as a collective national entity in prophetic alliance differed from its portrayal as an individual personal name in Genesis 46:21.

Modern Scholarly and Theological Perspectives

Ancient Translations and Early Views

The Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible produced in the 3rd–2nd centuries BCE, renders the Hebrew term rosh in Ezekiel 38:2 as "Ρως" (Rhōs), treating it explicitly as a proper noun in the construction "Gog... prince of Rhos, Meshech, and Tubal." This approach parallels the structure of the subsequent names Meshech and Tubal, suggesting Rosh functions as a distinct geographical or national entity rather than an adjective denoting "chief" or "head."^[24] Subsequent Greek revisions, including those by Theodotion (late 2nd century CE) and Symmachus (early 3rd century CE), maintain this rendering, capitalizing "Rhos" as a toponym and aligning it syntactically with Meshech and Tubal to indicate a separate proper name. In contrast, Jerome's Vulgate (late 4th century CE) translates the phrase as "principem capitis Mosoch et Thubal," interpreting rosh adverbially as "caput" (head), yielding "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal," while Jerome acknowledged the textual ambiguity in his commentary, noting the absence of a historically attested people named Rosh to justify a nominal translation.^[25] Origen's Hexapla (early 3rd century CE), a six-column comparative edition of scriptural texts, preserves these divergent Greek renderings—retaining "Rhos" as a distinct term in the Septuagint, Theodotion, and Symmachus columns—alongside the Hebrew original and transliteration, thereby highlighting translational variations without Origen advancing any eschatological interpretations of the term. These early versions shaped patristic exegesis by emphasizing textual fidelity over speculative geography, influencing later Jewish targumic traditions that predominantly favored the adjectival sense of rosh as "chief."

Contemporary Debates and the "Russia" Hypothesis

The hypothesis linking "Rosh" in Ezekiel 38–39 to modern Russia originated in 19th-century dispensationalist theology, particularly through the writings of John Nelson Darby around 1840, who interpreted the term as referring to the Russian Empire based on a perceived phonetic similarity to "Rus," the ancient name for Slavic peoples in the region.^[26] This identification aligned with Darby's broader prophetic framework, viewing Russia as a northern power destined for eschatological conflict.^[27] The idea gained significant traction with the 1909 publication of the Scofield Reference Bible, edited by Cyrus I. Scofield, which annotated Ezekiel 38 as prophesying an invasion by "the northern powers headed up by Russia," thereby embedding the interpretation in popular evangelical study Bibles and influencing generations of readers.^[28] In the late 20th century, Hal Lindsey's 1970 bestseller The Late Great Planet Earth amplified the hypothesis, explicitly equating "Rosh" with Russia as the leader of a coalition of northern invaders against Israel in Ezekiel's prophecy, framing it as a imminent Cold War-era threat.^[29] Similarly, Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series (1995–2007), co-authored with Jerry B. Jenkins, incorporated this view by depicting Russia (as "Rosh") as a central antagonist in end-times events drawn from Ezekiel 38–39, contributing to its cultural permeation in evangelical fiction and prophecy discussions.^[30] Scholarly critiques, however, overwhelmingly reject the Russia identification, emphasizing that "rosh" functions as a common Hebrew noun meaning "head" or "chief," forming an idiomatic construct phrase nasi rosh ("chief prince") rather than a proper noun denoting a nation.^[21] Daniel I. Block, in his 1998 commentary The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25–48, argues that Hebrew syntax and contextual usage support this adjectival role, noting the absence of "Rosh" as a known gentile toponym elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible or ancient Near Eastern texts. The proposed phonetic connection between Hebrew "rosh" (pronounced approximately /roʃ/) and "Rus" is linguistically flawed, as "Rus" derives from Old Norse roþs- or Proto-Slavic terms related to "rowers," referring to Viking (Varangian) settlers in the 9th century CE, with no etymological ties to Semitic languages.^[31] Furthermore, academic consensus holds that no archaeological or historical evidence confirms the existence of an ancient "Rosh" as a distinct nation or people group in the regions north of Israel during Ezekiel's time (6th century BCE).^[32]

References

[1]
Rosh Hashanah 101 - My Jewish Learning
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is a fall holiday, taking place at the beginning of the month of Tishrei.
[2]
Rosh HaShanah: The Jewish New Year - Reform Judaism
Rosh HaShanah (literally, “Head of the Year”) is the Jewish New Year, a time of prayer, self-reflection, and repentance.
[3]
What Is Rosh Hashanah? - The Jewish New Year - Chabad.org
Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the universe, the day G‐d created Adam and Eve, and it's celebrated as the head of the Jewish year.
[4]
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) | Hallmark Corporate Information
Rosh Hashanah, which means “new year” in Hebrew, is a time of family gatherings and religious celebrations. Families gather for a traditional holiday meal, ...
[5]
What is Rosh Hashanah? - Hillel International
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar, which is entering the year 5786, and is celebrated as the Jewish New Year.
[6]
Rosh Hashanah - Jewish Theological Seminary
The Amidah for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur presents a striking, even radical, vision: a world where God alone reigns, where all people—Jewish and not—live in ...
[7]
H7218 - rō'š - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) - Blue Letter Bible
H7218 - רֹאשׁ rôʼsh, roshe; from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many ...
[8]
https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/hebrew-thoughts.html?article=650
[9]
Appendix II - Semitic Roots - American Heritage Dictionary
mallow, mauve, from Latin malva, probably from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew mallûaḥ (see above). ... Common Semitic noun *raʾš‑, head, top. resh, from ...Missing: *raʔš- | Show results with:*raʔš-
[10]
Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/raʔš- - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have ...Missing: scholarly source
[11]
Hebrew Thoughts- Language Studies - rô'sh - StudyLight.org
The word ראשׁ rô'sh "head, chief, top, beginning" (Strong's #7218, x598) occurs nearly 600 times and is common to most semitic languages including Akkadian, ...
[12]
head (figurative), chief, leader – Hebrew conjugation tables - Pealim
Noun – masculine | Root: ר - א - שׁThe middle radical of this word is guttural; this affects the adjacent vowels. | Singular: רֹאשׁ rosh | Singular, ...
[13]
The name Rosh - meaning and etymology - Abarim Publications
Dec 3, 2015 · Meaning: Head, Chief, Top; Etymology: From the root ראש (ro'sh), which has to do with primality. Related names: • Via ראש (ro'sh): Jerusha, ...
[14]
RTL Words: ROSH (ראשׁ) - Bible & Archaeology
Nov 4, 2023 · The Hebrew noun ראשׁ (roʾsh, pronounced RŌSH) means "head," but possesses many of the same various meanings as does the English word "head."
[15]
Strong's Hebrew: 7218. רֹאשׁ (rosh) -- 599 Occurrences - Bible Hub
599 Occurrences. Genesis 2:10 · HEB: וְהָיָ֖ה לְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה רָאשִֽׁים׃ NAS: and became four rivers. KJV: and became into four heads.
[16]
The Construct Chain (סְמִיכוּת) and How It Modifies Nouns in ...
Jun 25, 2025 · סְמִיכוּת—commonly known as the “construct chain“—is a core grammatical feature of Biblical Hebrew that expresses possession, association, ...
[17]
(PDF) A Word Study on the Hebrew word "ROSH" - Academia.edu
This paper conducts a comprehensive word study on the Hebrew word "ROSH" through various lenses, including lexical semantics, grammar, and phonetics.<|separator|>
[18]
what does modern hebrew continue? the case of the presentatives ...
Dec 23, 2021 · This article deals with the continuity between Modern Hebrew and its previous stages, and highlights the important role played by the Hebrew of ...
[19]
[PDF] ROSH: AN ANCIENT LAND KNOWN TO EZEKIEL | Biblical eLearning
If wxrois regarded as a name, then the syntax of the passage is in keeping with the normal conventions of Hebrew grammar. In this case, the construct noun ...
[20]
Genesis 46 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre
Genesis Chapter 46 בְּרֵאשִׁית ; כד וּבְנֵי, נַפְתָּלִי--יַחְצְאֵל וְגוּנִי, וְיֵצֶר וְשִׁלֵּם. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. ; כה אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִלְהָה, אֲשֶׁר ...
[21]
Jacob's Descendants Who Go to Egypt: MT Versus LXX
Dec 15, 2015 · Genesis 46:8-27 lists Jacob's descendants who came to Egypt; in the Masoretic Text (MT) they total 70, whereas in the Septuagint (LXX), they total 75.
[22]
Genesis 46 - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
In Genesis 46:21 Benjamin has ten sons assigned him, but he was at most about thirty years of age when he went into Egypt, and some of these sons are ...
[23]
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-1.html
[24]
[PDF] RETHINKING EZEKIEL'S INVASION BY GOG
Ezekiel 38-39 describes a fierce invasion against the land of Israel led by Gog of the land of Magog. A common premillennial interpretation is that this ...
[25]
Ezekiel 38 Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary - Bible Hub
Preparation of Gog and his army for the invasion of the restored land of Israel. - Ezekiel 38:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ezekiel 38:2. Son ...
[26]
Flavius Josephus of the Antiquities of the Jews — Book I
For when he is describing the circumstances of the flood, he goes on thus: “It is said there is still some part of this ship in Armenia, at the mountain of the ...Missing: geographical | Show results with:geographical
[27]
[PDF] A New English Translation of the Septuagint. 38. Iezekiel
Then in chaps. 36 and 38, which promise the restoration of the ruined areas in Israel, “wilderness” (e1r hmoj) once again translates “ruins” (hbrx). Other ...Missing: Rosh | Show results with:Rosh
[28]
The Rosh People In History And Prophecy (Part One) -- By: Clyde E ...
Ros̆ as found in Ezekiel 38–39 is not an adjective, but a proper noun. It should thus be translated as the name of a third people [the Rosh] along with Meshech ...Missing: Septuagint scholarly
[29]
[PDF] Of Gog and Magog: The Geopolitical Visions of Jack Chick and ...
Jun 6, 2006 · In. 1840, John Nelson Darby wrote that Gog, referred to in the book of Ezekiel6, was the contemporary state of Russia, which was “extending her ...
[30]
John Nelson Darby's Prophetic Map - A Day of Small Things
Mar 4, 2021 · He thought that Russia would come to dominate Turkey-in-Asia, but I believe that if it does, it will control the whole country.
[31]
Ezekiel 38 Scofield Reference Notes - Bible Hub
That the primary reference is to the northern (European) powers, headed up by Russia, all agree. The whole passage should be read in connection with Zech 12 ...Missing: Rosh | Show results with:Rosh
[32]
Hal Lindsey, the Father of Apocalyptic Christian Zionism
In the Late Great Planet Earth, Lindsey claimed that Daniel 11 and Ezekiel 38 describe the way in which Russia will attack Israel. When the Russians invade ...
[33]
The Russia-Ukraine War and the End-Times Scenario
Apr 4, 2022 · From Joel Rosenberg's “The Ezekiel Option” fiction to Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' Left Behind series, ideas associating Rosh of Meshech ...
[34]
The Identity Of Rosh - Aletheia College
DIGRESSION 1: The Identity Of Rosh. I am aware that there are many reasons for thinking that rosh in Ez. 38:2 should be merely translated “chief”.
[35]
Rosh: Russia or Chief? - Joel's Trumpet
Oct 14, 2012 · Some scholars have argued that rosh should be translated as an adjective—meaning chief—and others have argued that it should be translated as a ...