“Midian”

Alan C. Miner

The people of Midian (2 Nephi 20:26) were linked to Abraham through Midian, the son of the concubine Keturah. The Midianites inhabited the desert borders in Transjordan from Moab down past Edom. They were desert-dwellers associated with Ishmaelites and Medanites (Genesis 37:28, 36) when Joseph was sold into Egypt. In the time of the judges, through Gideon and his puny band (Judges 6-8; 9:17), God delivered Israel from the scourge of camel-riding Midianites, Amalekites and other "children of the east," an event remembered by psalmist and prophet (Psalms 83:9; Isaiah 9:4; 10:26). [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 2, pp. 997-998]

2 Nephi 20:26 Midian ([Illustration]): The Territory of the Midianites. [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 2, p. 998]

“Rock of Oreb”

Oreb was a Midianite prince in an army routed by Gideon (Judges 7). The Ephraimites cut off the enemy's retreat at the Jordan fords, presumably opposite Jezreel; Bethbarah might be a ford some 20 kilometers south of the Sea of Galilee. The rock of Oreb was named after this slain prince, and remembered for the great defeat of Midian (Judges 7:25; Isaiah 10:26). [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 2, p. 1121]

The rock of Oreb was probably the place now called Orbo, on the east of Jordan, near Bethshean [Bethshan]. (Easton's Bible Dictionary) [Infobases, LDS Collectors Library '97 ] [See the commentary on Bethbara--1 Nephi 10:9]

2 Nephi 20:26 Rock of Oreb ([Illustration]): The land around Jezreel. [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 2, p. 789]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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