Midian
A place in the Bible
A desert land east of the Gulf of Aqaba. Moses lived there for many years as a shepherd.
What happened here
- Moses: he went to live as a stranger in the land of Midian, and there he had two sons.
- Jethro: the priest of Midian had seven daughters. Moses married one of them, Zipporah, and tended his father-in-law’s sheep.
- Gideon: centuries later, the Midianites oppressed Israel for seven years. With three hundred men, the Lord gave Gideon the victory over Midian.
Today
It was in the northwest of present-day Saudi Arabia.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 7:29; Exodus 2:16; Exodus 2:21; Exodus 3:1; Judges 6:1; Judges 7:7
What the Bible says
Acts 7:29
And Moses fled upon this word, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begot two sons.
Exodus 2:16
And the priest of Madian had seven daughters, who came to draw water: and when the troughs were filled, desired to water their father’s flocks.
Exodus 2:21
And Moses swore that he would dwell with him. And he took Sephora his daughter to wife:
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Madianites”; Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), “Midian”