Dedan was an Arabian people and region, known for their involvement in trade.
Also known as Rhodes · Dedanite · Dedanim
Dedan was an Arabian people and region, mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. They were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:3). The Dedanites were known for their involvement in trade, particularly in luxury goods such as ivory, ebony, and precious cloths (Ezk.27.15, 20). The region of Dedan was likely located in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, near Edom. The Dedanites are mentioned in prophetic oracles concerning God's judgment against the nations (Jeremiah 25:23; 49:8; Ezk.25.13; 38:13), indicating their significance in the ancient Near East. In Isaiah 21:13, a prophecy is directed to the caravans of Dedanites, warning them of impending danger, further emphasizing their role in trade and travel.
Approximate location: 26.625, 37.920 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
7 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1719
This is the burden against Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.
Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair;
Turn and run! Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish him.
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.
Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.
Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will ask, ‘Have you come to capture the plunder? Have you assembled your hordes to carry away loot, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and goods, to seize great spoil?’
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.