Hebrew word · H8489

תֵּימָנִי

hateimani

Temanite

'Temanite,' meaning someone from Teman. Teman was a clan and region of Edom named after a grandson of Esau (Gen 36:11, 15). The word teman also means 'south.'

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

Someone from Teman

Group of te.man (תֵּימָן "Teman" H8487H)

§ Temanite or Temani "southward"

1) an inhabitant of Teman located east of Idumea

2) a descendant of Teman, the grandson of Esau and a duke of Edom

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 Job 42:9

Range of meaning

'Temanite,' meaning someone from Teman. Teman was a clan and region of Edom named after a grandson of Esau (Gen 36:11, 15). The word teman also means 'south.'

Against the English

English simply transliterates the name. Readers miss that Teman was famous for wisdom.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent?' (Jer 49:7). Obadiah 8–9 links the 'wise men of Edom' with Teman. Solomon's wisdom is said to surpass 'all the people of the east' (1 Kgs 4:30).

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 36:34 הַתֵּימָנִֽי׃ the Temanite[s]

    When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 1:45 הַתֵּימָנִֽי׃ the Temanite[s]

    When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

Job · 6

  1. Job 2:11 הַתֵּימָנִי֙ the Temanite

    Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.

    Here: From Teman, a region of Edom that was famous for its wise men (Jer 49:7; Obad 8–9). Teman is also the name of Eliphaz's son in Genesis 36:11.

  2. Job 4:1 הַֽתֵּימָנִ֗י the Temanite

    Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

  3. Job 15:1 הַֽתֵּימָנִ֗י the Temanite

    Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

  4. Job 22:1 הַֽתֵּמָנִ֗י the Temanite

    Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

  5. Job 42:7 הַתֵּֽימָנִ֗י the Temanite

    After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.

    Here: From Teman in Edom, a place proverbial for wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7; Obadiah 8–9). The famous sage from the famous wisdom town is the one told he got it wrong.

  6. Job 42:9 הַתֵּֽימָנִ֜י the Temanite

    So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

    Here: From Teman, a region of Edom that was famous for its wise men (Jer 49:7; Obad 8–9). The book's most polished spokesman for traditional wisdom has to take his sacrifice to the man he lectured.

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