According to the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
, Midian ( he, מִדְיָן ''Mīḏəyān'') is the fourth son of
Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...
and
Keturah, the woman Abraham married after
Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...
's death. His brothers are
Zimran,
Jokshan,
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four ma ...
,
Ishbak Ishbak ( he, יִשְׁבָּ֣ק ''Yīšbāq'', "he will leave; leaving"), also spelled Jisbak and Josabak, was, according to the Bible, the fifth son of Abraham and Keturah. Ishbak had five brothers, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian and Shuah.
...
and
Shuah
Shuah is the name of one of four minor Biblical figures. It is sometimes used as the name of a fifth. Their names are different in Hebrew, but they were all transliterated as "Shuah" in the King James Version.
Genesis 25
Shuah (Hebrew: שׁוּ ...
. His sons are
Ephah
Ephah (, ''‘Êp̄āh'', Septuagint Γαιφα, ''Gaipha'') was one of Midian's five sons as listed in the Hebrew Bible. Midian, a son of Abraham, was the father of Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah by his wife KeturahGenesis 25:4. ...
,
Epher,
Enoch,
Abida, and
Eldaah.
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
records that "Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of
Troglodytis and the country of
Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
."
Midian is generally considered ancestral to the
Midianite people found in later portions of the Hebrew
scriptures
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pract ...
.
In Islam
Some Muslim genealogists claim he was the son of
Lot's daughter.
References
{{Authority control
Book of Genesis people
Children of Abraham
Midian