Land of Tema
Tayma | |
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![]() Landscape near Tema | |
![]() ![]() Tayma Location in Saudi Arabia | |
Coordinates: 27°37′47″N 38°32′38″E / 27.62972°N 38.54389°E |
The Land of Tema, Te'-ma or Tema (Hebrew: תֵּמָא, Greek: Θαιμάν, Arabic: تيماء and Thaiman) is a place mentioned in the Bible[1][2] where the descendants of Ishmael's son Tema dwelt.[citation needed] In Hebrew, the name means "south country".[citation needed] It was most likely in northern Saudi Arabia and has been identified with the modern Teima',[3][1][2][4] an oasis (fitting with the description in Jeremiah) which lies about 200 miles (320 km) north of Medina, and some 40 miles (64 km) south of (Dumah), now known as . Teima' is on the ancient caravan road connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Aqaba which in antiquity bought wealth to the town.[5][6] Doughty has described at Teima the ruins of an old city wall 3 miles (4.8 km) in circuit.[7] An Aramaic stele recently discovered, belonging to the 6th century BC, shows the influence of Assyrian in the town. The place is mentioned in the cuneiform inscriptions.[8][9] The possibility of its being on a trade route is supported by the reference in Job 6:19.[10] It is often associated with the Land of Dumah.[citation needed]
The Bible mentions Tema several times, including Isaiah 21:14; Jeremiah 25:23, 49:7, 49:20; Obadiah 1:9; and Amos 1:12. One of the protagonists in Job is Eliphaz the Temanite, and 1 Chronicles refers to Husham of the land of the Temanites.
Outside of the Bible, it was mentioned by Ptolemy,[11] Pliny,[12] Agatharchides,[13][14] and Josephus.[15] It was noted as halfway between Damascus and Mecca, and between Babylonia and Egypt.[16] Yaqut mentions that in the Middle Ages, it was inhabited by a Jewish Community.[17] Nabunaid of Babylon captured the city [18][3] and settled there until Cyrus the Great captured the city and moved him to Carmania.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b S. Smith, Babylonian Historical Texts (1924), 98-123
- ^ Jump up to: a b Arnulf Hausleitner, "Tayma - eine frühe Oasensiedlung", in: Archäologie in Deutschland, 3/213, pp. 14–19
- ^ Jump up to: a b R. P. Dougherty, Nabonidus and Belshazzar. (1929) p 1-5-200
- ^ Rev Charles Foster, The historical geography of Arabia; or, The patriarchal evidences of revealed religion. With an appendix containing translations of the Hamyaritic inscriptions recently discovered in Hadramaut, Volume 1 (1844) p 294.
- ^ See Job 6:19
- ^ See:Isaiah 21:14
- ^ R. P. Dougherty, Arabia Deserta, I, p285
- ^ Schrader, KAT2, 149
- ^ Tema at BibleAtlas.com.
- ^ Alter, Robert (2019). The Hebrew Bible: The Writings. Norton.
- ^ Ptolemy 5:19, section 6
- ^ Pliny, Geogr. 5, 19 and Hist. Nat. 6:32
- ^ Rev Charles Foster, The historical geography of Arabia; or, The patriarchal evidences of revealed religion. With an appendix containing translations of the Hamyaritic inscriptions recently discovered in Hadramaut, Volume 1 (Duncan and Malcom, 1844) p294.
- ^ Agatharchides LXX
- ^ Josephus Antiquities X.xi.2
- ^ Rodolfo C. Estimo Jr. (7 November 2010). "Pharaonic inscription found in Saudi Arabia". ArabNews.
- ^ Yaqut, Šihāb al-Dīn ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Ḥamawī. "Mu’jam al-Buldān". Dār Ṣādir, Beirut 1995, p. 67
- ^ Jack Finegan, Light from the Ancient Past, Vol. 1: The Archaeological Background of the Hebrew-Christian Religion (Princeton University Press, 8 Dec. 2015) p190.
- Arab history
- Archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia
- History of the Arabian Peninsula
- Oases of Saudi Arabia