Dumah דּוּמָה
Son of Ishmael and grandson of Abraham
Biography
Dumah is mentioned in the genealogies of Gen.25.14 and 1Ch.1.30 as one of the twelve sons of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. Ishmael's descendants became twelve princes according to their nations (Gen.25.16), fulfilling the promise God made to Abraham regarding Ishmael (Gen.17.20).
The name Dumah means "silence" or "stillness" in Hebrew. Some scholars suggest that the name may be associated with the oasis of Dumah (modern-day Dumat Al-Jandal) in northwestern Arabia, which was an important stop on the caravan trade routes.
Apart from being listed among Ishmael's sons, no further information is provided about Dumah in the Bible. His inclusion in the genealogies serves to highlight the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael and to trace the origins of the Arab peoples who descended from him.
Dumah's descendants, along with those of his brothers, likely became nomadic tribes that inhabited the regions of the Arabian Peninsula. These tribes played a significant role in the early history and development of the Arab world.
Family
Parents
Siblings
- Nebaioth ArabiaSon of IshmaelFirstborn son of Ishmael; father of a tribe.View full profile →
- Kedar ArabiaSon of IshmaelA son of Ishmael and a nomadic tribeView full profile →
- Adbeel ArabiaSon of IshmaelSon of Ishmael, grandson of AbrahamView full profile →
- Mibsam Tribe of SimeonSon of ShallumA Simeonite, son of Mishma.View full profile →
- Mishma Tribe of SimeonSon of MibsamA Simeonite, son of Mibsam.View full profile →
- Massa ArabiaSon of IshmaelSon of Ishmael, grandson of Abraham.View full profile →
- Hadad ArabiaSon of IshmaelA son of Ishmael, Abraham's son.View full profile →
- Tema ArabiaSon of IshmaelSon of Ishmael, associated with an Arabian cityView full profile →
- Jetur ArabiaSon of IshmaelSon of IshmaelView full profile →
- Naphish ArabiaSon of IshmaelSon of Ishmael, defeated by Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassites.View full profile →
- Kedemah ArabiaSon of IshmaelA son of Ishmael; Nodab, a Hagrite tribeView full profile →
- Mahalath ArabiaEsau's wifeEsau's wife, daughter of IshmaelView full profile →
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study contentGenesis 1 verse Study available
- Genesis 25:14
"Mishma, Dumah, Massa,"
Study Genesis →
1 Chronicles 1 verse
- 1 Chronicles 1:30
"Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,"
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | דּוּמָה | H1746G |
Dumah
(2) a town in the highlands of Judah between Hebron and Beersheba, now ed-Daume (Jos 15:52);
(3) an emblematical designation of Edom in the obscure oracle (Isa 21:11,12);
(4) an Ishmaelite tribe in Arabia (Ge 25:14; 1Ch 1:30). According to the Arabic geographies this son of Ishmael rounded the town of Dumat-el-Jandal, the stone-built Dumah, so called to distinguish it from another Dumah near the Euphrates. The former now bears the name of the Jauf ("belly"), being a depression situated half-way between the head of the Persian Gulf and the head of the gulf of Akaba. Its people in the time of Mohammed were Christians of the tribe of Kelb. It contained a great well from which the palms and crops were irrigated. It has often been visited by European travelers in recent times. See Jour. Royal Geog. Soc., XXIV (1854), 138-58; W. G. Palgrave, Central and Eastern Arabia, chapter ii. It is possible that the oracle in Isa (number 3 above) concerns this place.
Thomas Hunter Weir
dum (alam, 'illem, literally, "tied in the tongue"; kophos): Used either as expressing the physical condition of speechlessness, generally associated with deafness, or figuratively as meaning the silence produced by the