Midian
מִדְיָן · mid.yan · H4080HΜαδιάν · Madian · G30992 other spellings“judgment; covering; habit” Hitchcock's 186959 mentions in 11 books, most in Judges (29)
Where it is
28.93° N, 34.91° E · region
Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles
Mentioned most in
Counted from 59 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
About this place
Midian was a nation descended from Abraham through his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:2). The Midianites lived in the desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the area east of the Gulf of Aqaba. Moses fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian and married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15-22). Jethro later visited Moses and offered him wise counsel (Exodus 18:1-27).
During the time of the judges, the Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, oppressed Israel for seven years (Judges 6:1-6). God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:11-24). Gideon, with a small army of 300 men, defeated the Midianites and their allies, who were "as numerous as locusts" (Judges 7-8).
The Midianites were involved in the incident at Peor, where Israelite men were enticed into sexual immorality and idolatry (Numbers 25:1-18). As a result, God commanded Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-18; 31:1-54).
In later biblical history, the Midianites are mentioned as traders who bought Joseph from his brothers and sold him into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37:28, 36). The prophet Isaiah refers to the defeat of Midian as a symbol of God's power to deliver his people (Isaiah 9:4; 10:26). The Midianites are also mentioned in the genealogy of Edom (Genesis 36:35; 1Ch.1.46) and in a psalm calling for God's judgment on Israel's enemies (Psalm 83:9).
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
59 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
Genesis3 mentions
Genesis 36:35Husham died, and Hadad, the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.Genesis 37:28Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph…Genesis 37:36The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Exodus5 mentions
Exodus 2:15Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.Exodus 2:16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.Exodus 3:1Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb.Exodus 4:19Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”Exodus 18:1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Numbers13 mentions
Numbers 10:29Moses said to Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are journeying to the place of which Yahweh said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat…Numbers 22:4Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.Numbers 22:7The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.Numbers 25:6Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while…Numbers 25:14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites.Numbers 25:15The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midian.Numbers 25:17“Harass the Midianites, and strike them;Numbers 25:18for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who…Numbers 31:2“Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”Numbers 31:3Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian.Numbers 31:7They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male.Numbers 31:8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.Numbers 31:9The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder.
Judges29 mentions
Judges 6:1The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.Judges 6:2The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds.Judges 6:3So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them.Judges 6:6Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.Judges 6:7When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian,Judges 6:11Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.Judges 6:13Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us…Judges 6:14Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”Judges 6:16Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”Judges 6:33Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.Judges 7:1Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. Midian’s camp was on the north side of them, by the hill of…Judges 7:2Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’Judges 7:7Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place.”Judges 7:8So the people took food in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of the men of Israel to their own tents, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was…Judges 7:12The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the…Judges 7:13When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, came…Judges 7:14His fellow answered, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has delivered Midian into his hand, with all the army.”Judges 7:15It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has delivered the…Judges 7:23The men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued Midian.Judges 7:24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian and take the waters before them as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan!” So all the men…Judges 7:25They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at Oreb’s rock, and Zeeb they killed at Zeeb’s wine press, as they pursued Midian. Then they brought the heads of Oreb…Judges 8:1The men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you treated us this way, that you didn’t call us when you went to fight with Midian?” They rebuked him sharply.Judges 8:3God has delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb! What was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger was abated toward him when he had said that.Judges 8:5He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”Judges 8:12Zebah and Zalmunna fled and he pursued them. He took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and confused all the army.Judges 8:22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”Judges 8:26The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, in addition to the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple clothing that was on…Judges 8:28So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. The land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.Judges 9:17(for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian;
1 Chronicles1 mention
Psalms1 mention
Isaiah3 mentions
Isaiah 9:4For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.Isaiah 10:26Yahweh of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.Isaiah 60:6A multitude of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Yahweh.
Habakkuk1 mention
What the dictionary says
Strife, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, the father of the Midianites (Gen. 25:2; 1 Chr. 1:32).
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain