The land and people group of Midian play an important role in several biblical narratives. Here is an overview of the significance of Midian in the Bible:
Midian’s Connection to Abraham
Midian was one of the sons of Abraham through his second wife Keturah (Genesis 25:2). After Sarah’s death, Abraham took Keturah as his wife and she bore him six sons, one of which was Midian. So the Midianites were distant relatives and descendants of Abraham.
Moses Flees to Midian
After Moses killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave, he fled Egypt and settled in the land of Midian (Exodus 2:11-22). There he met Jethro, the priest of Midian, and married his daughter Zipporah. Moses lived in Midian for around 40 years as a shepherd before God called him from the burning bush to go back to Egypt and deliver the Israelites from slavery.
Midianites as Enemies of Israel
Although the Midianites were distantly related to the Israelites through Abraham, they were often viewed as enemies. For example:
- The Midianites joined forces with Moab to oppress Israel during the time of the judges (Judges 6). God raised up Gideon to defeat the Midianites.
- Midianite women seduced Israelite men into idolatry at Peor (Numbers 25). This led to a plague that was only stopped when Phinehas killed an Israelite man and Midianite woman.
- God commanded Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites, likely for their role in the Peor incident (Numbers 25:16-18). Israel defeated Midian under Moses’ command (Numbers 31).
So at times the Israelites viewed their distant relatives, the Midianites, as pagan enemies who sought to oppress them and lead them into idolatry away from worshipping Yahweh.
Jethro’s Wisdom for Moses
Although Midian could be an enemy, they also contributed positively to Israel’s well-being. As mentioned previously, Moses lived in Midian for 40 years after fleeing Egypt. His father-in-law Jethro, a priest of Midian, gave Moses wise counsel that is recorded in Exodus 18. Jethro saw that Moses was overwhelmed with leading and judging the Israelites alone. He told Moses to appoint other leaders to help bear the burden. This allowed Moses to focus on the big picture issues and not wear himself out.
Reuben and Gad Settle in Former Midianite Land
According to Numbers 32, the Israelite tribes of Reuben and Gad requested to settle on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that had previously belonged to Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. This land included the former territory of Moab and Midian. So part of the land possessed by Midian ended up being inhabited by tribes of Israel.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points about the significance of Midian in the Bible:
- Midian was the son of Abraham through Keturah and ancestor of the Midianite people group.
- Moses spent around 40 years living in Midian after he fled Egypt.
- The Midianites were sometimes enemies of Israel during the period of the judges.
- But Jethro, Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, also gave him wise counsel.
- The tribes of Reuben and Gad inhabited former Midianite territory.
So Midian played a complex role – at times they were enemies, but also allies and related to Israel’s patriarch Abraham. Studying Midian provides greater insight into Abraham’s offspring and Israel’s interactions with neighboring peoples.
Midian’s Connection to Abraham
As mentioned previously, Midian was one of the sons born to Abraham through his wife Keturah after Sarah’s death (Genesis 25:1-2). Midian and his brothers were sent east away from Isaac to the land of the east during Abraham’s lifetime (Genesis 25:6).
Here is the full list of the six sons Abraham had through Keturah (Genesis 25:2):
- Zimran
- Jokshan
- Medan
- Midian
- Ishbak
- Shuah
Genesis 25:4 also mentions that Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away east of Canaan while he was still living. The descendants of these sons of Keturah, including Midian, became tribes and people groups that were neighbors of the Israelites.
So the Midianites were distant relatives and shared common ancestry with the Israelites through their patriarch Abraham. But they separated from Isaac early on to live outside of the promised land. Still, their connection to Abraham is significant in understanding their role in biblical history.
Moses Flees to Midian after Killing an Egyptian
The land of Midian is the setting for a key period in Moses’ life after he fled Egypt following his murder of an Egyptian taskmaster. Here is an overview of the account in Exodus 2:
- Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and was moved with anger to kill the Egyptian (v. 11-12).
- When Pharaoh heard what Moses had done, he sought to kill him. So Moses fled to the land of Midian (v. 14-15).
- Moses settled by a well in Midian and helped Jethro’s daughters water their flocks there (v. 16-17).
- The daughters brought Moses to their father Jethro, identified as the priest of Midian (v. 18).
- Moses lived in Midian and married Jethro’s daughter Zipporah (v. 21).
- Moses worked as a shepherd in Midian for around 40 years (Acts 7:29-30).
This was a major transitional period in Moses’ life. After living as an adopted member of Pharaoh’s court for 40 years (Acts 7:23), Moses fled to Midian and lived there as a shepherd for another 40 years before God called him from the burning bush.
This account highlights the hospitality shown to Moses by taking in a stranger and allowing him to marry into the family. Jethro is depicted as a priest who cared for his daughters’ flocks. So Moses encountered a different cultural and religious context than he was used to in Egypt.
Overall, Moses finding refuge in Midian was pivotal, allowing him to lay low from Pharaoh’s pursuit and prepare for his future calling. The land of Midian and his father-in-law Jethro play important roles in this period of Moses’ education and self-discovery.
Midianites as Enemies of Israel during the Period of Judges
Although the Midianites were distant relatives of Israel through Keturah and Abraham, at times they acted as enemies of Israel. The most prominent example occurs in Judges 6 during the time of Gideon:
- The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and he delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years (v. 1).
- The Midianites oppressed Israel heavily and impoverished them (v. 2-6).
- When the Israelites cried out, God sent a prophet to rebuke them for their idolatry (v. 7-10).
- The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and appointed him to save Israel from Midian’s hand (v. 11-14).
- Gideon doubted, but gathered an army and was empowered by God to defeat the Midianites (v. 15-35).
- After initial doubts and tests, Gideon boldly attacked the Midianites with only 300 men and routed them (v. 36-40).
This story depicts the Midianites as oppressive invaders under God’s judgment. Yet they were powerful enough that it required divine intervention to rescue Israel through the leadership of Gideon.
Another key passage depicting Midianites as enemies is Numbers 25:
- When Israel was encamped at Peor, the Israelite men began to have relations with Moabite and Midianite women and were drawn into worshipping their gods (v. 1-3).
- God sent a plague on Israel for their idolatry (v. 4-9).
- Phinehas took decisive action to stop the plague by killing an Israelite man and Midianite woman (v. 6-8).
- God ordered Moses to execute the leaders of Midian for their role in turning Israel to idols at Peor (v. 16-18).
So in both these accounts, the Midianites are portrayed as pagan idolaters who seek to entice Israel away from worshipping God alone. They were viewed as enemies and threats to Israel’s covenant faithfulness.
Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-Law, Gives Wise Counsel
Not all depictions of Midianites are negative, however. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, identified as a priest of Midian, interacted positively with Israel.
In Exodus 18, Jethro came to visit Moses after the exodus from Egypt. He rejoiced over the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians (v. 1-12). Then Jethro observed how Moses alone was serving as judge and mediator for all the people’s disputes from morning to evening (v. 13-16). This was wearing out both Moses and the people.
Jethro gave Moses wise counsel to appoint other leaders over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to help judge and lead the people (v. 17-23). Moses heeded Jethro’s advice and shared the burden of leadership by establishing leaders over Israel (v. 24-27).
So although Midianites were enemies in some accounts, Jethro provides a positive example of a Midianite priest who used his wisdom to help establish an effective leadership structure for governing Israel.
Reuben and Gad Settle in Former Midianite Territory
According to Numbers 32, the Israelite tribes of Reuben and Gad had many livestock. They requested of Moses that they be allowed to settle on the east side of the Jordan River in the former territory of Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan rather than crossing over (v. 1-5).
Moses at first reproached them for discouraging their brothers from entering the promised land. But Reuben and Gad assured Moses they would still go before Israel into Canaan to help their brothers conquer the land before settling back in Transjordan (v. 6-19).
So Moses assigned the former Amorite and Bashan territory to Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh. This included formerly Midianite land, as the Amorites under Sihon had conquered parts of Moab and Midian before being defeated by Israel (v. 33-42; see also Numbers 21:21-35).
Therefore, the inheritance of Reuben and Gad included lands that previously belonged to their distant relatives through Abraham – the Midianites. This occupation fulfilled part of God’s promise to give Abraham’s offspring the lands of various eastern peoples (Genesis 15:18-21).
Key Takeaways on the Significance of Midian
In summary, here are some of the key points to understand the significance of Midian in the Bible:
- Midian was one of Abraham’s sons through Keturah, becoming an ancestor of the Midianite people who lived east of Canaan.
- Moses spent 40 years living in Midian as a fugitive from Egypt before God called him from the burning bush.
- The Midianites were oppressive enemies of Israel during the period of the judges.
- But Moses’ Midianite father-in-law Jethro blessed Israel with wisdom for establishing leadership.
- The tribes of Reuben and Gad eventually inhabited lands in Transjordan that previously belonged to the Midianites.
- So the Midianites played a complex role – both as enemies and allies of Israel at different points in biblical history.
Studying Midian provides greater insight into Abraham’s offspring and Israel’s interactions with their surrounding nations. Midian’s connection to Abraham makes them significant, even when their relationship with Israel was complicated.