מִדִּין
Definition
Middin is a proper noun referring to a specific location in the wilderness region of Judah. It is listed among the cities in the wilderness district in Joshua 15:61, indicating it was a settlement in a remote, arid area. The name likely relates to the region or people of Midian, suggesting a possible historical or geographical connection. As a place name, its meaning is tied solely to this single biblical reference.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 15:61, within a list of cities allotted to the tribe of Judah in the wilderness district. It appears in a context of territorial inventory and settlement geography, with no narrative or descriptive usage elsewhere.
Etymology
Middin (מִדִּין) is a variation or alternate form of Midyan (מִדְיָן, H4080), the name for the land and people of Midian. It derives from the root דִּין (dyn), meaning 'to judge' or 'to contend,' which also gives rise to the name Midian. The variation likely represents a local or dialectical pronunciation of the place name.
Semantic Range
As a place name in a wilderness district, Middin represents the extent of Judah's settlement into marginal, arid lands. Its inclusion in Joshua's list signifies the tribe's claim and presence in challenging territories, reflecting the biblical theme of Israel inhabiting the promised land in its entirety, from fertile areas to the wilderness.
Midyan (Midian, H4080) — the more common name for the region and people group from which Middin is derived.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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