Encyclopedia entry
Kedar
Dark-skinned, the second son of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13).
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It is the name for the nomadic tribes of Arabs, the Bedouins generally (Isa. 21:16; 42:11; 60:7; Jer. 2:10; Ezek. 27:21), who dwelt in the north-west of Arabia. They lived in black hair-tents (Cant. 1:5). To “dwell in the tents of Kedar” was to be cut off from the worship of the true God (Ps. 120:5). The Kedarites suffered at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 49:28, 29).
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(dark-skinned), the second in order of the sons of Ishmael, (Genesis 25:13; 1 Chronicles 1:29) and the name of a great tribe of Arabs settled on the northwest of the peninsula and on the confines of Palestine. The “glory of Kedar” is recorded by the prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 21:13-17) in the burden upon Arabia; and its importance may also be inferred from the “princes of Kedar” mentioned by Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 27:21) as well as the pastoral character of the tribe. They appear also to have been, like the wandering tribes of the present day, “archers” and “mighty men.” (Isaiah 21:17) comp. Psal 120:5 That they also settled in villages or towns we find from Isaiah. (Isaiah 42:11) The tribe seems to have been one of the most conspicuous of all the Ishmaelite tribes, and hence the rabbins call the Arabians universally by this name.
In the Bible
11
Verses where Kedar is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Chronicles 1:29
These are their genealogies: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Ezekiel 27:21
Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.
- Genesis 25:13
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Isaiah 21:16
For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.
- Isaiah 21:17
The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
- Isaiah 42:11
Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
+5 more verses naming Kedar.
Scripture on Kedar
10
Entries that reference Kedar
1
Kedar references
11
Sources · Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869) · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.