Midianite

Midianite
/mid"ee euh nuyt'/, n.
1. a member of an ancient desert people of northwest Arabia near the Gulf of Aqaba, believed to have descended from Midian.
adj.
2. of or pertaining to the Midianites.
[MIDIAN + -ITE1]

* * *

▪ ancient people
also called  Ishmaelite 

      in the Old Testament, member of a group of nomadic tribes related to the Israelites and most likely living east of the Gulf of Aqaba in the northwestern regions of the Arabian Desert. They engaged in pastoral pursuits, caravan trading, and banditry, and their main contacts with the Israelites were from the period of the Exodus (13th century BC) through the period of the judges (12th–11th century BC). According to the Book of Judges, the Israelite chieftain Gideon drove the Midianites into western Palestine, after which they largely disappear from the biblical narrative.

      According to the Book of Genesis, the Midianites were descended from Midian, who was the son of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham by the latter's second wife, Keturah. Jethro, priest-leader of the Midianite subtribe known as the Kenites, and his daughter Zipporah (a wife of Moses), influenced early Hebrew thought: it was Yahweh, the lord of the Midianites, who was revealed to Moses as the God of the Hebrews. Circumcision was practiced by the Midianites before the Israelites.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Midianite — [mid′ē ən īt΄] n. [< Heb midhyān, name of a son of Abraham (see Gen. 25:2) + ITE1] Bible a member of a nomadic tribe of Arabs that fought the Israelites: Num. 31, Judg. 6 8 …   English World dictionary

  • Midianite pottery — Midianite pottery, also known as “Qurayya ware” [1] is a ware type found in the Hejaz (northwestern Saudi Arabia), southern and central Jordan, southern Israel and the Sinai, generally dated to the 13th 12th centuries BCE, although later dates… …   Wikipedia

  • Midianite — noun Etymology: Midian, son of Abraham Date: 1560 a member of an ancient northern Arabian people …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Midianite — noun A member of an ancient northern Arabian people …   Wiktionary

  • Midianite —    An Arabian tribe descended from Midian. They inhabited principally the desert north of the peninsula of Arabia. The peninsula of Sinai was the pasture ground for their flocks. They were virtually the rulers of Arabia, being the dominant tribe …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • midianite — mid·i·an·ite …   English syllables

  • Midianite — Mid•i•an•ite [[t]ˈmɪd i əˌnaɪt[/t]] n. peo (in the Bible) a member of a pastoral people of NW Arabia, said to be descendants of Midian …   From formal English to slang

  • Midianite — /ˈmɪdiənaɪt/ (say mideeuhnuyt) noun 1. a member of a desert people of north west Arabia near the Gulf of Aqaba, descended from Midian. Exodus 2:15–22; Judges 6–8. –adjective 2. of or relating to the Midianites …  

  • midianite — I. ˈmidēəˌnīt noun ( s) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Midian, son of Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:2), the eponymous ancestor of the Midianites + English ite : a member of an ancient northern Arabian tribe mentioned in the Bible II.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • biblical literature — Introduction       four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha.       The Old… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”