תֵּימָן

From the study of Habakkuk 3:3

Range of meaning

(1) A personal and clan name from Edom: Teman, grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:11, 15, 42). (2) The Edomite region or town named after him, famous for its wise men (Jeremiah 49:7; Obadiah 9; Amos 1:12; Job's friend Eliphaz the Temanite). (3) As a common noun, 'south' or 'south wind', from the root for 'right hand'. An ancient Hebrew who faced east, toward sunrise, had the south on his right.

Against the English

Most English versions keep it as the place name 'Teman', which is right but tells modern readers nothing. NLT turns it into 'Edom', which helps with geography. The Vulgate's 'from the south' keeps the sense of direction but drops the link to a real region.

Used elsewhere in the period

Several ancient poems describe Israel's God marching from the southern wilderness: Deuteronomy 33:2 ('The LORD came from Sinai and dawned from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran'), Judges 5:4–5 ('when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom'), and Psalm 68:7–8. Outside the Bible, inscriptions at Kuntillet ʿAjrud, a way-station in north-eastern Sinai from about 800 BC, invoke 'YHWH of Teman' (yhwh tmn), next to 'YHWH of Samaria'. This shows that in the monarchy period people already linked Israel's God with the southern desert region.

From the study of Jeremiah 49:7

Range of meaning

A proper name formed from the word for 'south' (teiman). It names (1) an Edomite clan descended from Esau's grandson Teman (Gen 36:11, 15, 42), (2) the district or chief town they lived in (Amos 1:12; Ezek 25:13; Obad 9), and (3) in poetry, Edom as a whole (Hab 3:3, in parallel with Mount Paran). The ordinary noun teiman also just means 'south' or 'south wind'.

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate it as 'Teman'. Readers may not realise it is a stand-in for all of Edom, or that it had a reputation for wisdom.

Used elsewhere in the period

Amos 1:12 ('the strongholds of Bozrah') pairs Teman with Bozrah, Edom's capital. Inscriptions from Kuntillet 'Ajrud in the Sinai (about 800 BC) mention 'Yahweh of Teman', and Habakkuk 3:3 says 'God came from Teman'. So the southern region was also linked with Yahweh's ancient homeland. Where exactly Teman lay is uncertain: identifying it with the site of Tawilan near Petra has been widely questioned.

From the study of Amos 1:12

Range of meaning

As a common noun (H8486): south, south wind, the southern quarter (from yamin, 'right hand', since the south is on your right when you face east). As a proper name: (1) a grandson of Esau and a clan chief of Edom (Gen 36:11, 15, 42); (2) the territory or chief town of that clan ('land of the Temanites', Gen 36:34); (3) by extension, poetic shorthand for Edom (Jer 49:7, 20; Obad 9; Hab 3:3).

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate it 'Teman', which hides the fact that the name also meant 'the South'. That is not a drift so much as a lost layer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Teman was famed for wisdom (Jer 49:7; Eliphaz the Temanite in Job 2:11). Inscriptions from Kuntillet 'Ajrud in Sinai (c. 800 BCE) speak of 'YHWH of Teman', and Habakkuk 3:3 says 'God came from Teman'. The southern desert was remembered as a region from which Israel's God marched out (cf. Judg 5:4). Eusebius (4th c. CE) knew a village Thaiman about 15 Roman miles from Petra.