The BibleGospel Companion

Kedar

קֵדָר · qe.dar · H6938“blackness; sorrow” Hitchcock's 186911 mentions in 7 books, most in Isaiah (4)

Who he was

Kedar is first mentioned in Genesis 25:13 and 1 Chronicles 1:29 as one of the twelve sons of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. He is the eponymous ancestor of the Kedarites, a nomadic Arab tribe that inhabited the desert regions of northern Arabia.

The Kedarites were known for their black tents (Song of Solomon 1:5) and their large flocks of sheep and goats (Isaiah 60:7; Ezekiel 27:21). They were skilled archers and warriors (Isaiah 21:16–17) and were one of the major Arab tribes in the ancient Near East.

In the Bible, Kedar is often used as a representation of the nomadic tribes of the desert. The psalmist laments living among the tents of Kedar, symbolizing a hostile and foreign environment (Psalm Isa.120.5). The prophet Jeremiah uses Kedar as an example of a distant and powerful nation.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Family

FatherIshmaelSiblingsNebaioth, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath
Family relations: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

11 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
GenesisChapter 25: 1 mention1 mention
Genesis 25:13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
1 ChroniclesChapter 1: 1 mention1 mention
1 Chronicles 1:29These are their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
PsalmsChapter 120: 1 mention1 mention
Psalms 120:5Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Song of SolomonChapter 1: 1 mention1 mention
Song of Solomon 1:5I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar’s tents, like Solomon’s curtains.
IsaiahChapter 21: 2 mentionsChapter 42: 1 mentionChapter 60: 1 mention4 mentions
Isaiah 21:16For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail,Isaiah 21:17and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken it.”Isaiah 42:11Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains!Isaiah 60:7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar; and I will beautify my glorious house.
JeremiahChapter 2: 1 mentionChapter 49: 1 mention2 mentions
Jeremiah 2:10For pass over to the islands of Kittim, and see. Send to Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there has been such a thing.Jeremiah 49:28Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck, Yahweh says: “Arise, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east.
EzekielChapter 27: 1 mention1 mention
Ezekiel 27:21“‘“Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your favorite dealers in lambs, rams, and goats. In these, they were your merchants.

What the dictionary says

Dark-skinned, the second son of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13).

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
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Sources