Interesting Facts

• Melud is identified as one of the sons of Abida.

Genealogy

• Melud’s father was Abida.
• Abida was one of the sons of Midian.
• Midian was a son of Abraham.
• Melud had brothers named Chur, Kerury, and Molchi.

Historical Context

As a great-grandson of Abraham through Midian and a grandson of Midian through Abida, Melud’s existence would be situated within the timeframe when Abraham’s progeny were multiplying in the generations following his death. According to the Book of Jasher, Abraham’s grandchildren were born between the years 2136 and 2149 A.M.. During this period, the sons of Midian, including Melud’s father Abida, ventured to the east of the land of Cush, discovered a spacious valley, and established a city, thereby founding the land known as Midian. The sources also document a famine that afflicted the land after the demise of Abraham, prompting Isaac, Abraham’s son, to sojourn in Gerar and engage with the Philistine king Abimelech. However, Melud is not directly linked to these specific occurrences. His life would have unfolded within the broader context of the dispersion and settlement of Abraham’s descendants in various territories, specifically within the nascent Midianite community.

Narrative

Within the provided excerpts from the Book of Jasher and Jubilees, there is no specific narrative account dedicated to Melud, the son of Abida. His name appears exclusively within a genealogical record in Jasher 25:13, wherein he is listed among the four sons of Abida, who was a son of Midian and a grandson of Abraham. Consequently, Melud’s role and significance within the narrative landscape of these ancient texts are fundamentally genealogical. His inclusion serves the purpose of tracing the familial connections and the expansion of Abraham’s lineage through the line of Midian. The primary narrative focus during this era, as presented in the sources, centers on the lives and pivotal events concerning more prominent figures such as Isaac, Esau, and Jacob, as well as significant historical occurrences like the famine, the exploits of Esau including his conflict with Nimrod, and Isaac’s sojourn and interactions in Gerar. Therefore, Melud’s presence in these texts is confined to his position within the ancestral lineage, and no individual actions, dialogues, or personal history are attributed to him in these sources.