Ezekiel 25:13

13. Teman; and they of Dedan, etc. Rather, from Teman unto Dedan shall they fall. Teman and Dedan were respectively the north and south frontier districts of Edom. The inhabitants of this region were celebrated for their wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7; Obadiah 1:8-9). The most eloquent speaker in Job is Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11; Job 4:1). So they are called in Baruch (Ezekiel 3:22-23), “authors of fables, the searchers out of understanding.” This district was situated in the caravan route from Egypt to Babylon, and in some recently discovered inscriptions (old Aramaic) may be seen “marked traces of Egyptian civilization” (Neubaur, Studia Biblia, vol. i). Dr. Euting dates these inscriptions in the time of Ezekiel. Certainly these were civilized districts at a very early day, for Gudea, some 3,000 years B.C., brought alabaster from Tidanu (Dedan), and Gimil-Sin, 2,000 years B.C., built a wall against Tidnim. The ancient Minaeans brought their female temple slaves from Gaza, Moab, Ammon, Kedar, Dedan, etc. (Hommel, Ancient Hebrew Tradition). These Minaean inscriptions have only recently been discovered, and it is still disputed whether the kingdom followed that of Saba (Sheba), or whether it preceded it (2000-1000 B.C.), although the latter view seems preferable.