Midian

Midian was the fourth son born to Abraham by his concubine Keturah, and he became the eponymous ancestor of the Midianite people who inhabited the northwestern Arabian Peninsula and the Sinai regions (Genesis 25:2, 4; 1 Chronicles 1:32–33). His five sons—Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah—represent Midianite tribal subdivisions. Abraham sent Midian and his brothers eastward, away from Isaac, to maintain the distinction of the covenant line. The Midianites later figure prominently in the biblical narrative as traders who bought Joseph (Genesis 37:28–36), as the people among whom Moses sought refuge (Exodus 2–3), and as enemies defeated by Gideon (Judges 6–8).