Hazarmaveth
“Court of death or enclosure of death”
Summary
Hazarmaveth was a son of Joktan whose descendants settled in the region of southern Arabia now known as Hadramaut, an area famous for frankincense and myrrh but noted for its unhealthy climate.
☩Descendant of Shem
Hazarmaveth was the third son of Joktan, himself a descendant of Shem. Like other sons of Joktan, Hazarmaveth represents both a person and the region his descendants inhabited. The name, ominously meaning "court of death," aptly describes the insalubrity of the climate in the territory that bears his name.
☩The Region of Hadramaut
The province of Hadramaut lies on the southern coast of Arabia along the Indian Ocean, east of modern Yemen. Despite its unhealthy climate, it was renowned in antiquity for its production of frankincense, myrrh, aloe, and other aromatics. The identification rests not only on the similarity of the name but is confirmed by the known settlement of Joktan's descendants along the south coast of Arabia. Ancient writers including Ptolemy and Strabo knew this region and its inhabitants.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hazarmaveth," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Hazarmaveth," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Hazarmaveth," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Hazarmaveth," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).