Kedar

The second son of Ishmael, Abraham’s son (Genesis 25:13; 1 Chronicles 1:29).

A tribe or area appearing mainly in the prophetic writings from Solomon to the exile. In Isaiah’s prophecy against Arabia, Kedar is mentioned twice (Isaiah 21:13–17). Along with Arabia, Dedan, and Tema, the Kedarites are threatened with destruction. Isaiah 21:16 mentions their "pomp," suggesting some wealth (see also Ezekiel 27:21). The militaristic tone in Isaiah 21:17 suggests that they were a warring people. In Jeremiah 49:28, Kedar is linked with Hazor as victims of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests. There is no record outside of the Bible of Nebuchadnezzar's march on Kedar. However, Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria, mentions the conquest of Kedar. That would have been about 650 BC, or half a century earlier than the Babylonian conquest.

Besides Ashurbanipal's account, the only other ancient reference outside of the Bible to Kedar is on a silver bowl. It was offered to the Arabian goddess Han-’ilat in the Egyptian Delta. The inscription on the bowl reads, “Cain, son of Geshem, king of Kedar,” and it is dated to the fifth century BC. This Geshem was very likely the enemy of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:19; 6:1–6).

The picture the Bible gives of Kedar is that of a people living in the wilderness, descended from Ishmael. They did not believe in Yahweh at first but are included in Isaiah’s prophecy of the future kingdom of God (compare Isaiah 42:11; 60:7). Their desert environment limited their work to sheep herding and trading. Unpredictable water in the desert forced them to move. A tent life was better than permanent houses (compare Psalm 120:5; Song of Solomon 1:5). For this reason, archaeologists have found no site named Kedar. Kedar was east and slightly south of Israel, in southern Jordan. The people of Kedar presumably died out or were absorbed into nearby nations.