Teman

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TEMAN

TEMAN (Heb. תֵּימָן, from יָמִין; "right, south"), grandson of Esau and name of a place in Edom (Gen. 36:11, 15, 34; Amos 1:12). Teman and Bozrah represented the whole land of Edom (Amos 1:12; Obadiah 9). Its inhabitants were famous for their wisdom (Jer. 49:7; cf. Job 2:11).

Teman is identified with Ṭawīlān, below Jebel Heidan, northeast of Elji. A great amount of Edomite Early Iron i–ii pottery (1200–600; see Glueck in bibl.) was discovered at its site. One of the "kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites," was a Temanite (Gen. 36:34). At least from the period of the geonim the term was used for the South Arabian region of *Yemen.

bibliography:

N. Glueck, in: aasor, 15 (1934/35), 82–83.