Jetur
“Enclosure or nomadic camp”
Summary
One of the twelve sons of Ishmael whose descendants became the Ituraeans, a people dwelling east of the northern Jordan in New Testament times.
☩Genealogy and Settlement
Jetur is listed among the twelve sons of Ishmael in Genesis 25:15 and 1 Chronicles 1:31, representing one of the twelve tribes that descended from Abraham through Ishmael. His name probably means 'an enclosure' or 'nomadic camp,' reflecting the pastoral lifestyle of his descendants. The tribe he founded settled east of the northern Jordan, in the region that came to be known as Iturea (or Ituraea) in later times. In 1 Chronicles 5:19, the descendants of Jetur are mentioned as enemies whom the two and a half Transjordanian tribes—Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—warred against and defeated. By New Testament times, Iturea had become a Roman tetrarchy, mentioned in Luke 3:1 as part of the domain of Philip.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jetur," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Jetur," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).