Suah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Suah was a son of Zophah, and a member of the tribe of Asher. He is named only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogy recorded in 1 Chronicles 7:36: “The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah.” Beyond this single appearance, Scripture tells us nothing about his life, his character, or his deeds.
The setting of this mention is the tribal genealogy of Asher, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These chapters of 1 Chronicles trace the descendants of the patriarchs in order to establish Israel’s identity, inheritance, and place among the nations. Suah appears within that record as one of several brothers, listed alongside Harnepher, Shual, Beri, and Imrah. His father Zophah is himself listed earlier among the descendants of Asher, so Suah belongs to a family line preserved within the larger genealogy of the tribe.
What Scripture says of Suah is simply that he was a son of Zophah. He is not credited with any exploit, not recorded as speaking, and not noted for any failure. He did nothing that the text reports, and nothing that the text condemns. He is, in the fullest sense, a name in a list—one link in a chain of generations. Yet that is precisely what the genealogies of Israel were meant to preserve: the ordinary descendants through whom God carried forward His covenant people, generation after generation, until the promised line was complete.
The Name
The Hebrew name behind “Suah” is not clearly recoverable in meaning. Some have suggested a possible connection to a root related to sinking, humbling, or crying out, but no meaning for this name is well established. It is best to say plainly that the meaning is uncertain rather than to assign one. The name appears only here in the King James Bible, and the text itself offers no explanation of it.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered by many. Our lives may look more like a single line in a long record than like a story told and retold. Suah’s brief appearance is a quiet reminder that God’s purposes are not carried only by the famous. They are carried by ordinary sons and daughters, faithful in their generation, whose names may be forgotten by the world but are held in the hand of the One who numbers even the hairs of our heads. Being known by God is enough.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 7:36 — The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,