The Midianites are referred to as the people of Midian in the Bible. They lived in the Midian which is a region in Arabia. The Midian is mentioned several times in the Old Testament and appears somewhere between Mount Sinai and Kadesh. Let’s dive into the Spiritual meaning of Midianites, characteristics of Midianites and meaning of Midianites in the bible.
The Midianites were one of the ancient Hebrew tribes living in the land of Canaan, east of the River Jordan. The territory occupied by Midian is believed to have been located on the desert plateau east of the Arabah.
The Midianites were a group of people who worshipped the goddess Anat. They were often described as nomadic, but they lived in tents and could be found in the Sinai Peninsula. The Midianites are mentioned in the Old Testament as a group that was fighting against the Israelites.
According to the Bible, Moses married one of their daughters, named Zipporah. Zipporah’s father was a priest of Midian. He gave her to Moses as his wife after Moses had fled Egypt and killed an Egyptian guard who tried to kill him (Exodus 2:16-22).
Moses stayed with Zipporah’s family for 40 years before he was called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 4:18).
Characteristics of Midianites
Midianites were a nomadic tribe of Arabs who lived in the Sinai and Negev deserts. They were known to be fierce warriors, and they fought against the Israelites during the time of Moses.
The name “Midian” comes from a place called Midian, which was an area located in present-day Saudi Arabia. It is believed that this area was named after a son of Abraham and his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:4).
In Biblical times, the Midianites were considered to be enemies of Israel. They were known for their violence and cruelty toward others, including their own people. This characteristic is reflected in their name: midyan means “enemy.”
Midianites Meaning
The Midianites were a nomadic tribe that lived in the deserts of Arabia. They are believed to have been descended from Abraham, and they worshiped a fertility goddess named Astarte.
The Midianite women were known for their sexual promiscuity. They would seduce men who passed through their territory and then demand payment for their services. The Bible says that Moses’ wife Zipporah was a Midianite woman, and that the two were married after she rescued him from being killed by an angry Egyptian king.
The Midianites
The Midianites are the descendants of Midian, just as it says in Genesis 25:1-3 where it was written, “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.” Midian had sons too and “The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah” (Gen 25:4) who Abraham married after Sarah’s death (Gen 23). All Midianites are descended from Midian and so they are directly descended from Abraham and Keturah, Abraham’s wife. Those who were the sons of Midian (Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah) are also closely related to the Midianites, being brothers, and are also considered Midianites. The Midianites had a religious and political system close to the Moabites and so they often allied with one another when they faced Israel much later. In biblical times, they lived in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula and with a close proximity to the Promised Land, and later, the nation Israel, the Midianites would prove to be an enemy of a nation who was still in the loins of Abraham.
Mounting Opposition
If you want to know a list of the nations or peoples that would be at opposition to Israel, just take a look at Genesis chapter 36. This chapter contains numerous enemies of God that came from Esau’s descendants, but some of these kept the Midianites subdued for a time, as it says “Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith” (Gen 36:35). This is frequently how God acts and moves in history. He uses one nation to bring down another; acting as His rod of correction. In the sovereignty of God, He even used the Midianites to save the nation of Israel. This happened when “Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt” (Gen 37:28). Joseph’s brother’s evil deeds end up saving the nation of Israel (Gen 50) and by use of Israel’s natural enemy, the Midianites. God can use evil for good for His purposes (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28). Just look at the cross for the best example.
Balak and Balaam
After Moab had seen “all that Israel had done to the Amorites” (Num 22:2) “Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel” (Num 22:3) so “Moab said to the elders of Midian, ‘This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.’” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me.
Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message” (Num 22:4-7). They wanted Balaam to bring down a curse upon Israel, which of course he couldn’t. All he ended up doing was blessing them.
Only when Balaam suggested that Moabite women were sent to the camp could they destroy Israel, from within, by breaking God’s law by sexual immorality and marrying outside of the nation of Israel, with pagan women and so “the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor” (Num 25:16-17).
God Judges the Midianites
Midian, by choice, had become an enemy of Israel and whoever is an enemy of Israel, is an enemy of God and so “Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian” (Num 31:3) and “They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male” (Num 31:7) so that the Midianites would have no strength anymore. Judgment came to the rest of the Midianites and Balaam too as it says “They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword” (Num 31:8). Now, every male Midianite was dead, every king, and even Balaam who did much harm to Israel by his suggestion to infiltrate the camps with pagan women in the hopes that they would take them for wives. The small remnant left was crushed by God using Gideon’s 300, but the victory was wrought by God and not by men.
Meaning of Midianites in The Bible
The Midianites are a nation of people mentioned in the Old Testament. They are said to have been descended from Midian, who was the son of Abraham and Keturah.
The Midianites were nomadic, traveling with their livestock and living off the land. As such, they were often associated with robbers and thieves. However, there were also times when they helped others by giving them water or food.
They were known for their musical abilities, which they used to entertain both their own people and others.
Some archaeologists believe that the Midianites may have been related to a group called the Habiru, who lived in what is now Syria and Palestine during ancient times.