Interesting Facts

• Meban is noted within the sources as being one of the four sons of Shuach.
• As a son of Shuach, Meban held the distinction of being a grandson of Abraham and Keturah.
• The available texts do not record any particular deeds or utterances directly associated with Meban; his presence is within a list of descendants.
• Meban’s brethren are identified as Bildad, Mamdad, and Munan.
• Being a scion of Abraham through Keturah, Meban was part of the lineage that received gifts from Abraham and was sent eastward, away from the line of Isaac.

Genealogy

• Meban’s father was Shuach, who was among the six sons born to the venerable Abraham and his wife Keturah.
• His paternal grandfather was none other than the patriarch Abraham.
• His paternal grandmother was Keturah, a woman from the land of Canaan who became a wife to Abraham in his later years.
• Through his father’s lineage, Meban was a great-grandson of Terah and a descendant of Shem and Noah.
• His brothers, as documented in the sources, were Bildad, Mamdad, and Munan. The provided texts yield no further details concerning Meban’s birth, any marital unions he may have entered into, or whether he procreated any offspring.

Historical Context

The life of Meban would have unfolded in the epoch subsequent to Abraham’s union with Keturah and the birth of their six sons, one of whom was Shuach. As a grandson of Abraham through Shuach, Meban would have been part of the lineage that received gifts from Abraham and was directed to journey eastward, away from Isaac, who was designated as the primary inheritor of Abraham’s covenantal promises. This eastward migration situated Meban’s family and the other descendants of Keturah in lands to the east of Canaan, areas that would later be associated with the Arabs and Ishmaelites. The cultural and religious milieu for Meban’s lineage would have been shaped by the teachings and legacy of Abraham, who exhorted his descendants to adhere to the ways of the Lord, to act with righteousness, and to abstain from the practices of the Canaanites. Therefore, the life and potential familial development of Meban would have occurred within this historical framework of eastward movement and the formation of communities carrying the Abrahamic tradition, distinct from the line of Isaac. This period corresponds to the later years of Abraham’s earthly sojourn and the generations immediately following his passing.

Narrative

Within the narrative structure of the extant sources, Meban’s significance is strictly genealogical. He is mentioned solely as one of the sons of Shuach, thereby contributing to the record of Abraham’s expanded progeny through his marriage to Keturah. His inclusion serves to document the multiplication of Abraham’s seed and the dispersal of his descendants into diverse groups and geographical regions, in accordance with Abraham’s provision of gifts and their subsequent eastward journey. Unlike pivotal figures in the narratives, such as Isaac or Jacob, whose lives are recounted with specific events and interactions, Meban remains a figure whose existence is acknowledged only through his position within the ancestral lists. His narrative import lies in illustrating the fulfillment of the divine promise to Abraham concerning the increase of his posterity. While the texts offer some broader context regarding the dispersal and settlement of Abraham’s other sons and their descendants, Meban himself is defined by his place within the familial structure, signifying the early diversification of Abraham’s lineage through Keturah.