Genesis 25:15

15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

Genesis 25:15 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 25:15

Hadar and Tema
From the first of these the city Adra in Arabia Petraea, and from the other the city Themma in Arabia Deserta, both mentioned by Ptolemy F18, may be thought to have their names; or the city Adari and the Athritae in Arabia Felix F19; and the inhabitants of the land of Tema are mentioned as Arabians, ( Isaiah 21:13 Isaiah 21:14 ) ; and Pliny F20 speaks of a people called Thimaneans, whom he says the ancients joined to the Nabathaeans: the troops of Tema mentioned in Job were of this people, ( Job 6:19 ) ; and Eliphaz the Temanite, ( Job 2:11 ) , is thought by some not to be the descendant of Teman the grandson of Esau, but to be of this man's people and country. The three last sons follow: Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah;
the two first of these are reckoned among the Hagarites, as the Ishmaelites were sometimes called, ( 1 Chronicles 5:19 ) ; from Jetur came the Itureans, whom Pliny F21 places in Coelesyria; and their country Iturea is reckoned by Strabo F23 along with Arabia; and the Ithyreans with Virgil F24 are famous for their bows, as Ishmael and his posterity were for archery in all ages, and still are, (See Gill on Genesis 21:20). As for the posterity of Naphish and Kedomah, we have no account elsewhere, nor any traces of their names, unless those of the latter should be meant by the men of the east, or the men of Kedem, ( Jeremiah 49:28 ) , which is not improbable, since they are mentioned with the posterity of Kedar the second son of Ishmael; and the Nubaeans by Lebanon may be from Naphish.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Geograph. l. 5. c. 17, 19.
F19 Ibid. l. 6. c. 7.
F20 Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28.
F21 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 23.
F23 Geograph. l. 16. p. 520.
F24 Georgic. l. 2. ver. 448.

Genesis 25:15 In-Context

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their generations: Ishmael's first son was Nebaioth; then Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam
14 And Mishma and Dumah and Massa,
15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their towns and their tent-circles; twelve chiefs with their peoples.
17 And the years of Ishmael's life were a hundred and thirty-seven: and he came to his end, and was put to rest with his people.
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