Midian
Midian is a region mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, located in the region of Arabia in modern-day Egypt. Known today as Al Bad. It appears across 51 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Midian occupies a substantial place in biblical narrative, appearing across 51 verses in both Testaments. The region takes its name from Midian, a son of Abraham by Keturah (Genesis 25:2), whose descendants settled in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula east of the Gulf of Aqaba. Midian's most significant role comes in the life of Moses, who fled there after killing an Egyptian (Exodus 2:15), married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro the priest of Midian, and encountered God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1). It was from Midian that Moses returned to lead Israel out of Egypt. Later, Midianites became adversaries of Israel, joining Moab in hiring Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22-25) and seducing the Israelites into idolatry at Baal-Peor, prompting God's command to wage war against them (Numbers 31). In the period of the Judges, Midianite raiders devastated Israel for seven years until Gideon's miraculous victory with three hundred men (Judges 6-8). In the New Testament, Stephen references Moses' sojourn in Midian in Acts 7:29. Isaiah 60:6 prophetically envisions Midian's camels bearing gifts to Zion.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Midian is generally located in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula, in what is now the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia. The site of Al-Bad (ancient Madian) preserves the name and features rock-cut tombs known locally as the "Caves of Jethro" (Maghair Shuaib). Saudi archaeological surveys have documented these impressive Nabataean-era tombs carved into sandstone cliffs, along with ancient wells and settlement remains. The broader region shows evidence of extensive copper mining and smelting operations dating to the Bronze and Iron Ages, including sites at Timna in the nearby Arabah. Peter Parr's surveys in the 1960s-70s documented Midianite pottery, a distinctive painted ware found across the region that confirms a distinct cultural identity.
Verse Appearances (59)
Num
Josh
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]