MIDIAN AND MIDIANITES

Midian was the 4th son of Abraham to his concubine Keturah. Ephah, Epher (Africa), Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah were the sons of Midian (Gen. 25:1,4). 

Abraham gave all his possession to Isaac.

"But unto the sons of the concubines, ...  Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away ...

 קֵ֖דְמָה    (qedamah)

[to] Qedemah [Jordan east], 

unto the land of

קֶֽדֶם      (qedem)

Kedem [Negeb]." -Genesis 25:6

There were more than one Kedem (Qedem), hence the toponym "Kedemoth" is also mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:26 and Joshua 21:37. It ranges from Haran in Mesopotamia to Eziongiber in Edom.

Besides of other Kedem, there was another Kedem near Kush (Makhtesh Ramon), as what we can learn from Sinuhe (c.1950 BCE). Near these places was "Yaa," which Sinuhe described to be in the south, and most likely later rendered by king Ramesses III (1155 BCE) by the name "Yiha" ("Yah"), south of Atharim or Arad. Kush is rendered "Kushu" in Brussels Texts and "Kushan" west of Teman (in Habakkuk 3:7).

In the Story of Sinuhe, in Berlin's Papyrus 3022, lines 219 & continue, we can have this passage:

"Let now Thy Majesty cause to be brought the prince of Maki from 

Kedem,

prince of Yaush the mountain chief from 

Khent Kush

[the foremost Cush],

and prince of Menus from the lands of the Fenkhu. They are renowned princes, who have grown up in love of thee, albeit unremembered. Retenu is thine, like to thy hounds. ...

Envoys came to this servant, and I was suffered to spend a day in 

Yaa

to hand over my possessions to my children, ... Then came this humble servant 

southward [Negev]

 and halted at Paths-of-Horus... And His Majesty sent a trusty head-fowler of the Palace, having with him ships laden with presents of the Royal bounty for the Setiu [people of the wilderness of Shur] ..." 

Kedem was near Kush (Makhtesh Ramon) and Yaa (Yah/Land of Yahweh) during the time of king Amenemhat I (1991-1962) & Senusret I (1971-1926 BCE).

Genesis 25:6 says that Abraham let Midian live in Kedem.

Prophet Habakkuk clearly identified the  "land of Midian" as "Kushan" located near Mt. Paran west of Teman in the region where seismic activities and burning coal went forth from its ground, and made assunder the cities and bent the everlasting mountains of Sinai. These descriptions are referring to Makhtesh Ramon.

"God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. 

He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of

 Kushan

 in affliction: and the curtains of the land of 

Midian

did tremble." - Habakkuk 3:3,5-7

Knowing the exact location of the land of Midian in Kushan (Kush/Makhtesh Ramon), we can now know who were some amalgamating tribes in the area. According to prophetess Deborah, Sinai mountains were in Seir in the field of Edom (Judg. 5:4-5), hence it is expected that some Edomites were inhabiting in Midian.

The name Raguel was an Edomite personal name, and it was also the name of the father of Hobab and Zephorah. This Raguel became a priest in Midian, in which he might have given the name Jethro. The exact origin of Raguel (Jethro) could be Seir in Arad or Tel Masos neighborhood of Amalakites, east of Gaza. Hence, when they resided in Arad, Jethro became known by the name "Kenite," smitter of copper. Therefore, Jethro's tribe was an Edomite who lived in Midian of the people of Kenites of Kush, who became antagonists of Midianites of the people of bene-Kedem.

 During the latter time of Jethro, his family avoided him to be called again as "the Midianite," since his family stood behind Moses - that is, they were separating from the Midianites of Kedemites, who were to be annihilated by Moses.

Instead of calling themselves as Midianites, they identified themselves as Kenites (particularly during and after the annihilation of easterner Midianites). 

These westerner Midianites (aka Kenites) became concentrated in Athika (Timna Valley) in Edom, and even brought their products to Saudi Arabia.

Nevertheless, the origin of Midianites was in Negev, east of Gaza, Amalakites, and west of benei Kedem.

"And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the Kedem, even they came up against them; And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till you come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey." - Judges 6:3-4

During the time of Moses (1309-1189 BCE), Zur of Jordan "Kedem" and the president of the league of the Midian kings, made a trick by the astute advice of Balaam the Seer to let his daughter, princess Cozbi, allure a prince of Israel (namely Zimri Ben Salu of the Simeonite tribe) by the help of Moabite women. Zimri probably being the leader of the 4th division of Israel compromised with the Moabites and even attended their feast of their gods in Mt. Peor and eaten their foods after hearing the compromising oracle of Balaam.  

Zur, and other Midian kings (Evi, Rekem, Hur, and Reba) were dukes of Sihon, king of the Amorites in Heshbon (Josh. 13:21), and whose lineage was from Kedemites of Moab, and they became a great concerned to Moses after many of Israelites of the 4th division died of a plague brought by princess Cozbi and her fellow Moabite women, that brought Moses to order the annihilation of the eastern Midianites, including its mastermind Balaam, and then suzerain lord Sihon (Num. 31:8, Josh. 13:21-22). 

Twenty four elef died in the said plague (Num. 25:9) that was common during the Late Bronze Age Collapse. To neutralize the spread of the deadly plague, Phinehas the grandson of Aaron speared all infected people, including prince Zimri and princess Cozbi (Num. 25:7-15).

"And they warred against the Midianites, as YHWH commanded Moses; and 

they slew all the males.

 

And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword." -Numbers 31:7-8  

This is the last mention of Midianites in the chronological timeline of the history of Hebrews in circa 1190 BCE after Kedemite Midianites reached the limit of their abusive power. 

Just in the previous decades prior to the case of Baal-Peor they caused troubles to the Israelite Hebrews that resulted to the Battle of Megiddo/Kishon in 1208 BCE during the time of prophetess Deborah and judge Gideon (Jerubbaal) that triggered pharaoh Merneptah to intervene and pacify them. The Kishon of Jabin was defeated by the troops of Deborah and hence the toponym "Kishon of Jabin" in the Topographical List 23.21 (at Karnak Great temple of Amun) of king Rameses II was renamed "Band of Deborah" by king Rameses III in the Topographical List 27.85 (at Medinet Habu Great temple).

 Nevertheless, Midianite males were still in existence during the time of Jerubbaal (Gideon) and Deborah. 

It was during the time of Phinehas, after the mourning for Aaron's death (1190 BCE), when Moses annihilated the Midianite males, and since then Midianites were not mention again. 

This could be also the reason why Midianite is not mention in Egyptian record because they did not fight Egyptians, particularly that they were business traders of Egypt during the time of Jacob, the short existence of their kingdom under many kings and princes is not enough to affect Egyptians, unlike with the Seirites, Moabites and Edomites that affected pharaoh's concerns. Besides, their land being part of Makhtesh Ramon was affected by the disaster that removed mountains in the area. 

Jethro after the annihilation of Midianites did not identify himself as Midianite, rather his family called him as the "Kenite," the name which was also popular among Egyptian scribes, that even Hori an Egyptian army scribe during the Late Bronze Age Collapse noticed that Kenite could not be easily distinguished from Shasu for they wore similar garments (Judges 1:16, 4:11,17, 1Samuel 15:6 ). This may mean that any man identifying himself as a Midianite after 1190 BCE was at perilous as there was an order from Moses to annihilate Midianite males.

The remaining Midianites, actually by affiliation or by living in Midian, were the Kenites (descended from Edomites), whose presence was evident in Athika (Timna Valley) Edom. Their presence there was but in accordance to the order of Moses to destroy the cow idols of Egyptians.

From where tribe this Kenite Midianites came?

Scientific studies suggest that these Kenites (known to modern archaeology as "Midianites") came from Edomites.

Data given in Edomite, Negev, Midianite Pottery: Neutron Activation Analysis (Gunneweg, 1991 AD) show that 75% of all pottery analysed from Timna (Negbite', 'Midianite' and 'faience' wares) was imported from Edom proper, whereas 10% could have come from apparently Qurayyah Arabia.

 

And from Edom, they sojourned in Athika (Athach) or Timna Valley, and few (more or less 10%) of traders probably from Arabia Qurraya likely intermarried with them.

Atika (biblical Athakh) was discovered by king Seti I, who founded the temple of cow goddess Hathor there. It was rich in copper. A strong earthquake in 1228 BCE destroyed the Hathor's temple which compelled king Rameses II to renovate. Pharaoh (Queen) Tausert visited the area, either personally or by a representative, and she had kept secret about this copper mining area, and that was the beginning when "Kenite" Midianites started to sojourn in Edom's copper region. The Midianites that sojourned there in circa 1190 BCE were connected to the Tel Masos' Kenites. These Kenite Midianites started to take control Site 34, located opposite to the Nahal Nehustan temple until they desecrated the shrine of Hathor.

According to Manetho's Egyptian History (3rd century BCE), the Lepers (Hornet division) led by Moses were quarantined in mining sites.

 The Bible reported that Moses led them in Edom before and after the attack of pestilence of snakes. Moses reported too that the earth there opened its mouth and eaten alive his cousins together with their tents and belongings. Deborah reported that the mountains of Sinai melted.

The "Midianites," particularly those muchly related to Negev (Kushite Kenites), & to Qurraya, desecrated & destroyed Hathor's shrine and built tents on it.

///"It would be unreasonable to doubt that Midianites actually worked and worshipped in Timna. There was no Midianite pottery in the earliest, initial phase of the temple and it seems plausible to assume that at the very beginning of Egyptian copper mining in Timna the Midianites were not yet working there,... Perhaps this fact explains the differences between Sites 30 & 34, located opposite the temple in Nahal Nehushtan and defended by a strong wall, and the other sites of Timna which had no defensive wall. Whereas at Site 30 no Midianite ware was found... and very little Midianite pottery was located at Site 34,...

"...The votive 

copper snake

 of Timna is only a part of the Midianite cult represented in the temple... The last phase of the Hathor Temple of Timna, which seems to have been a tent-shrine, was a Midianite place of worship and this suggests a possible connection not only of the Midianite cult of the copper snake, found in this shrine, with the Nehushtan of the Exodus, but also with the actual tent-shrine of Israel's desert wanderings, the 'tent of meeting', the Tabernacle... it seems relevant to recall also the obvious anti-Hathor practice of the builders of the tented shrine at Timna, ... the defacing of Hathor and the destruction of the Egyptian monuments..." - Timna, Beno Rothenberg, 1969 AD///

Moses made a copper snake in Edom, which apparently was duplicated by the Midianites.

And the very copper snake made (c. 1190 BCE) by these Kenite Midianites is found by archaeologists in Timna Valley, Edom. These Kenite Midianites became related to the Mycenaean people after amalgamated with the fighters of the confederation called Sea Peoples by king Merneptah (1213-1210 BCE).