Midianites
Summary
The Midianites were descendants of Midian, Abraham's son by Keturah, who became a nomadic merchant people dwelling in the Arabian desert and playing significant roles in Israel's history from Joseph to Gideon.
☩Origin and Territory
The Midianites descended from Midian, one of Abraham's six sons by Keturah, whom Abraham sent eastward with gifts during his lifetime. They became a nomadic people inhabiting the desert regions east of Moab and Edom, extending into the Sinai peninsula. Scripture sometimes interchanges the terms 'Midianites' and 'Ishmaelites,' suggesting close association or intermarriage between these related peoples.
☩Joseph and Moses
Midianite merchants passing through Canaan purchased Joseph from his brothers and sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. Centuries later, Moses fled from Pharaoh to the land of Midian, where he married Zipporah, daughter of the priest Jethro, and tended his flocks for forty years before encountering God at the burning bush. Jethro later advised Moses on organizing Israel's judicial system.
☩Conflict with Israel
The Midianites joined Moab in hiring Balaam to curse Israel and in seducing the Israelites into idolatry and immorality at Baal-peor, bringing divine judgment on both nations. God commanded Moses to execute vengeance on Midian, resulting in the death of their five kings and Balaam, and the complete destruction of their cities. Despite this defeat, the Midianites later recovered and, with the Amalekites, oppressed Israel for seven years during the judges period.
☩Gideon's Victory
The Midianite and Amalekite hordes, innumerable as locusts, annually devastated Israel's crops and flocks until God raised up Gideon. With only three hundred men armed with trumpets, torches, and pitchers, Gideon routed the vast enemy army in a night attack that became proverbial for divine deliverance against overwhelming odds. The princes Oreb and Zeeb and the kings Zebah and Zalmunna were slain, and Midian was so thoroughly subdued that it never again troubled Israel.
Related Verses36 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Midianites," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).