Who was Teman in the Bible?

Teman was a grandson of Esau and the son of Eliphaz, making him a chieftain of the Edomites (Genesis 36:11, 15). He is the namesake of a major Edomite clan and region, which became proverbial for its wisdom.

Why is the clan of Teman significant in the Bible?

The Temanites, descended from Teman, were renowned for their wisdom, as noted by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 49:7). The region of Teman in Edom is also frequently mentioned by prophets like Obadiah and Ezekiel in oracles of judgment.

What key events involved Teman in the Bible?

Teman himself is only mentioned in genealogical lists (Genesis 36, 1 Chronicles 1). The key 'events' involve prophetic judgments pronounced against the land and wisdom of Teman, a symbol of Edom's pride, for its hostility toward Israel (Obadiah 1:9, Ezekiel 25:13).

Teman

Old TestamentPatriarchsMaleGrandson of esau

Teman was a grandson of Esau and is associated with an important Edomite clan known for its wisdom.

Teman

Biography

Teman was the firstborn son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau, listed among the chiefs of Edom in Genesis 36:11, 15 and 1 Chronicles 1:36. His name, meaning "the right side" or "the south", became the designation for both an Edomite clan and a prominent city or region in Edom's territory. Teman's lineage through Esau placed him within the broader family of Isaac, making him a cousin of Jacob and thus genealogically proximate to Israel. The region of Teman carried a distinguished reputation in antiquity as a center of wisdom; Jeremiah 49:7 speaks of "counsel" perishing from Teman. Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job's three friends (Job 2:11), almost certainly derived from this Edomite region.

Significance

Teman's legacy is most palpable in the character Eliphaz the Temanite, whose extended speeches in Job represent the pinnacle and limitation of human wisdom confronting divine mystery. Teman thus became associated in biblical tradition with a particular school of reflection, perceptive, morally serious, yet ultimately insufficient before God's inscrutability. The prophets invoked Teman when pronouncing judgment on Edom (Jeremiah 49:7, 20; Amos 1:12; Obadiah 1:9), indicating its prominence in the region. Habakkuk 3:3 uses Teman as a poetic term for the direction from which God's theophanic glory appears, suggesting the region had deep resonances in Israel's theological imagination as a place of divine encounter.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherEliphazSiblingKenaz