Bible Dictionary
Nebaioth, Nebajoth
Nebaioth, or Nebajoth, was Ishmael’s firstborn son and the ancestor of a pastoral Arabian tribe mentioned by Isaiah.
Definition
Nebaioth, or Nebajoth, was Ishmael’s firstborn son and the ancestor of a pastoral tribe bearing his name. The tribe was associated with flocks and with the rams mentioned by Isaiah.
Biblical Usage
Isaiah associates the rams of Nebaioth with the flocks of Kedar and presents them as offerings brought to the Lord.
Historical Background
The tribe was identified by Jerome and others with the Nabathaeans, whose capital was Petra. The supplied material says that this people first settled southeast of Palestine and later moved in search of pasture, but the identification and details remain uncertain.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(heights), the “first-born of Ishmael,” (Genesis 25:13; 1 Chronicles 1:29) (B.C. about 1850), and father of a pastoral tribe named after him, the “rams Of Nebaioth” being mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 60:7) with the; flocks of Kedar. From the days of Jerome: this people had been identified with the Nabathaeans of Greek and Roman history Petra was their capital. (They first settled in the country southeast of Palestine, and wandered gradually in search of pasturage till they came to Kedar, of which Isaiah speaks. Probably the Nebaioth of Arabia Petrea were, as M. Quatremere argues the same people as the Nebat of Chaldea.—McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia.)