the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
Click here to learn more!
Bible Dictionaries
Medan
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
MEDAN. One of the sons of Abraham and Keturah ( Genesis 25:2 = 1 Chronicles 1:32 ). The existence of such a tribe, however, is very doubtful. In Genesis 37:36 ‘Medanites’ is miswritten for Midianites (see RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ), and there is every likelihood that in the former passage ‘Medan’ is a doublet of ‘Midian,’ the next word in the verse. Medan is unknown elsewhere in the Bible, nor is it represented by the name of any people in any extra-Biblical document. To connect it with the name of an Arabian god Madân , or with the similar name of a wady in N.W. Arabia, is very hazardous, both because the associations are remote, and because the word-form is common in Semitic, and is liable to occur in various relations.
J. F. M‘Curdy.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Hastings, James. Entry for 'Medan'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hdb/​m/medan.html. 1909.