<Dd> "We believe that Haupt's proposal is to be adopted, and that Midian, rather than depicting a land, is a general term for an amorphous league of the Late Bronze Age, of wide geographical range, who, after a series of reverses, the most prominent of which are recorded in Judges 6--7, largely disappeared from the historical scene ...' </Dd> <P> It is uncertain which deities the Midianites worshipped . Through their apparent religio - political connection with the Moabites they are thought to have worshipped a multitude, including Baal - peor and the Queen of Heaven, Ashteroth . According to Karel van der Toorn, "By the 14th century BC, before the cult of Yahweh had reached Israel, groups of Edomite and Midianites worshipped Yahweh as their god ." </P> <P> An Egyptian temple of Hathor at Timna continued to be used during the Midianite occupation of the site (terminal Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age); the Midianites transformed the Hathor mining temple into a desert tent - shrine . In addition to the discovery of post-holes, large quantities of red and yellow decayed cloth with beads woven into it, along with numerous copper rings / wire used to suspend the curtains, were found all along two walls of the shrine . Beno Rothenberg, the excavator of the site, suggested that the Midianites were making offerings to Hathor, especially since a large number of Midianite votive vessels (25%) were discovered in the shrine . However, whether Hathor or some other deity was the object of devotion during this period is difficult to ascertain . A small bronze snake with gilded head was also discovered in the naos of the Timna mining shrine, along with a hoard of metal objects that included a small bronze figurine of a bearded male god, which according to Rothenberg was Midianite in origin . Michael Homan observes that the Midianite tent - shrine at Timna is one of the closest parallels to the biblical Tabernacle . </P> <Ol> <Li> Midian was the son of Abraham </Li> <Li> Joseph was sold by the Midianites who came across him and they sold him to the Ishmaelites </Li> <Li> Midian was where Moses spent forty years in voluntary exile after killing an Egyptian . </Li> <Li> Moses married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (also known as Reuel). </Li> <Li> Jethro advised Moses on establishing a system of delegated legal decision - making </Li> <Li> Moses asked Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, to accompany the Israelites travelling towards the promised land because of his local knowledge, although Hobab preferred to return to his homeland </Li> <Li> Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite chief Zur, was speared by Phinehas together with Zimri . Zimri was the son of a Simeonite chief, while Cozbi was a Midianite woman taken into his family by Zimri . The Midianite women's seductions of Israelites to their idol Baal - Peor (or Baal - phegor) is described as the cause of offense to God, even though the Midianites were racially akin to the Israelites as descendants of Abraham, and Moses' own wife Zipporah was Midianite . Ignoring this, at least one modern day movement has interpreted this story as a prohibition against miscegenation . </Li> <Li> Soon after, Yahweh instructed Moses to collect an army and destroy Midian . Some commentators, for example the Pulpit Commentary and Gill's Exposition of the Bible, have noted that God's command focused on attacking the Midianites and not the Moabites, and similarly Moses in Deuteronomy directed that the Israelites should not harass the Moabites . </Li> <Li> The Israelites killed every Midianite male, including Zur and four other named chiefs, and brought back the women and children as prisoners of war </Li> <Li> Moses condemned the Midianite women as the cause of the enmity between the Israelites and the Midianites, and ordered every woman who had slept with a man to be killed (Numbers 31: 17), but 32,000 girls who have never slept with a man were kept as slaves (Book of Numbers 31: 35). </Li> <Li> Israel was oppressed by Midian for seven years during the time of the Judges (Judges 6: 1--6). Gideon was called by God to deliver Israel from Midian's armies (Judges 6: 7--9). He killed the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb, then pursued their kings Zebah and Zalmunna as far as Karkor, slaying them as well . </Li> <Li> Hadad the Edomite, opposing King Solomon, passed through Midian and Paran while fleeing from Edom to Egypt . </Li> <Li> Isaiah (60: 6) speaks of camels from Midian and Ephah coming to "cover your land," along with the gold and frankincense from Sheba . This passage, taken by the Gospel of Matthew as a foreshadowing of the Magi's gifts to the infant Jesus, has been incorporated into the Christmas liturgy . </Li> </Ol>

What is the meaning of the word midian