Almodad
“The beloved, or God is beloved”
Summary
The firstborn son of Joktan and ancestor of a south Arabian tribe, representing one of the earliest peoples to settle in Arabia.
☩Genealogy
Almodad was the first mentioned of the thirteen sons of Joktan, who was a descendant of Shem through Eber. This genealogy traces the origins of various Arabian tribes. The name is preserved in Arab tradition as El-Mudad, a famous figure reputed to be the father of Ishmael's Arab wife and chief of a Joktanite tribe.
☩Arabian Connection
Various identifications have been proposed for Almodad's descendants. Some scholars connect the name with the Allumaeotae mentioned by Ptolemy, a people in central Arabia Felix near the sources of the river Lar. Others relate it to the Morad tribe in the mountains of Arabia Felix near Zabid. The "Al" at the beginning may represent the Arabic article.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Almodad," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Almodad," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Almodad," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).