Hebrew word · H4084

מִדְיָנִי

hamidyanit

Midianite

The feminine form of 'Midianite', a woman of Midian. Midian was a group of semi-nomadic tribes east and south of Moab and in northwest Arabia. Genesis 25:2 traces them to Abraham through Keturah, so they were distant relatives of Israel.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

Someone from Midian

Group of mid.yan (מִדְיָן "Midian" H4080H)

§ Midianite, of Midian "strife"

a member of the tribe of Midian

2) an inhabitant of the land of Midian

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 25:6

Range of meaning

The feminine form of 'Midianite', a woman of Midian. Midian was a group of semi-nomadic tribes east and south of Moab and in northwest Arabia. Genesis 25:2 traces them to Abraham through Keturah, so they were distant relatives of Israel.

Against the English

All versions render it correctly. The Vulgate's 'Midianite harlot' adds a moral judgment the Hebrew does not state.

Used elsewhere in the period

Moses' father-in-law Jethro/Reuel and his wife Zipporah were Midianites (Exod 2:15–21; 18). The elders of Midian joined Moab in hiring Balaam (Num 22:4, 7). Num 31:16 blames Midianite women, acting on Balaam's advice, for the Peor apostasy. Judg 6–8 tells of later wars with Midian.

From the study of Genesis 37:28

Range of meaning

Midianites: descendants of Midian son of Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:1-2), associated with Sinai, north-west Arabia and the desert fringe. Ishmaelites: descendants of Ishmael son of Abraham and Hagar (Gen 25:12-18), desert peoples 'from Havilah to Shur'. 'Ishmaelite' may also have served more broadly for desert caravan peoples.

Against the English

English versions either keep both names side by side, leaving the puzzle visible (KJV, ESV, WEB), or smooth it over. BSB adds 'his brothers' as the subject, and NLT merges the groups into a single company of Ishmaelite traders who were Midianites.

Used elsewhere in the period

Judg 8:24 calls the Midianites Gideon defeated 'Ishmaelites', because they wore gold earrings, which suggests the names could overlap. In Gen 37:25-27 the caravan is Ishmaelite; 37:28 introduces Midianite traders; 37:36 says the Medanites/Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar; 39:1 says Potiphar bought him from 'the Ishmaelites who brought him down there'.

From the study of Numbers 31:2

Range of meaning

A member of Midian, a group of tribes said to descend from Abraham through Keturah (Gen 25:2). Their homeland is usually placed in northwest Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba, and they ranged widely as herders and caravan traders. In biblical memory they are both allies (Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, Exod 2–3; 18) and enemies (Num 22; 25; 31; Judg 6–8).

Against the English

English versions agree on 'Midianites'. Nothing is lost in translation, but the background is easily missed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Archaeologists link the painted 'Qurayyah' pottery of the northern Hejaz and southern Levant (Late Bronze to early Iron Age) to Midian, though the identification is debated. Assyrian and later sources hardly mention Midian under that name.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 37:28 מִדְיָנִ֜ים Midianite[s]

    So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

    Here: These are descendants of Midian, Abraham's son by Keturah (Gen 25:2), a people of the desert and caravan routes east and south of Canaan. The word stands beside 'men' to say who they were.

Numbers · 6

  1. Numbers 10:29 הַמִּדְיָנִי֮ the Midianite

    Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”

    Here: Names the family's people: herders who moved through the deserts of Sinai and north-west Arabia. Genesis 25:2 traces them back to Abraham through Keturah, so they are distant kin of Israel but not part of Israel.

  2. Numbers 25:6 הַמִּדְיָנִ֔ית the Midianite [woman]

    Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

    Here: 'The Midianite woman', with 'the'. She is a particular, high-status woman, later named Cozbi daughter of Zur, a Midianite chieftain (25:15). Her people had joined Moab in plotting against Israel (22:4, 7; 31:16).

  3. Numbers 25:14 הַמִּדְיָנִ֔ית the Midianite [woman]

    The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.

  4. Numbers 25:15 הַמִּדְיָנִ֖ית the Midianite [woman]

    And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

  5. Numbers 25:17 הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים the Midianites

    “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

  6. Numbers 31:2 הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים the Midianites

    “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

    Here: The Midianite tribes, who had joined Moab against Israel and whose women, on Balaam's advice, drew Israel into the worship of Baal of Peor (Num 25; 31:16). They were also the people of Moses' own father-in-law.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.