Dictionaries :: Tema

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Tema:

south; desert, one of the sons of Ishmael, and father of a tribe so called (Gen 25:15; 1Ch 1:30; Job 6:19; Isa 21:14; Jer 25:23) which settled at a place to which he gave his name, some 250 miles south-east of Edom, on the route between Damascus and Mecca, in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula, toward the Syrian desert; the modern Teyma'.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Tema:

admiration; perfection; consummation

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Tema:

te'-ma (tema'," south country"; Thaiman): The name of a son of Ishmael (Ge 25:15; 1Ch 1:30), of the tribe descended from him (Jer 25:23), and of the place where they dwelt (Job 6:19; Isa 21:14). This last was a locality in Arabia which probably corresponds to the modern Teima' (or Tayma' (see Doughty, Arabia Deserta, I, 285)), an oasis which lies about 200 miles North of el-Medina, and some 40 miles South of Dumat el-Jandal (Dumah), now known as el-Jauf. It is on the ancient caravan road connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Aqaba; and doubtless the people took a share in the carrying trade (Job 6:19). The wells of the oasis still attract the wanderers from the parched wastes (Isa 21:14). Doughty (loc. cit.) describes the ruins of the old city wall, some 3 miles in circuit. An Aramaic stele recently discovered, belonging to the 6th century BC, shows the influence of Assyrian article The place is mentioned in the cuneiform inscriptions (Schrader, KAT2, 149).

Written by W. Ewing

Nave's Topical Bible

Tema: 1. Son of Ishmael

Gen 25:15; 1Ch 1:30

Tema: 2. A People of Arabia

Probably descendants from Tema, Ishmael's son,

Job 6:19; Isa 21:14; Jer 25:23.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Tema:

(a desert) the ninth son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:15; 1 Chronicles 1:30) whence the tribe called after him, mentioned in Job 6:19; Jeremiah 25:23 and also the land occupied by this tribe (Isaiah 21:13-14). (B.C. after 1850) The name is identified with Teyma, a small town on the confines of Syria.