And Jokshan begat Sheba and Dedan
Bochart F15 is of opinion, that the posterity
of this Sheba are the same with the Sabeans who inhabited at the
entrance of Arabia Felix, not far from the Nabathaeans; and who,
by Strabo F16, are mentioned together as near to
Syria, and used to make excursions on their neighbours; and not
without some colour of reason thought to be the same that
plundered Job of his cattle, ( Job 1:15 ) . From Dedan
came the Dedanim or Dedanites, spoken of with the Arabians in (
Isaiah
21:13 ) ; Junius thinks Adada in Palmyrene of Syria had its
name from this man, and in which country is the mountain Aladan
or Alladadan. Bochart F17 more probably takes Dedan, a city
in Idumea, to derive its name from him. There is a village called
Adedi in the country of the Cassanites, a people of Arabia Felix,
which Ptolemy F18 makes mention of, and seems to have
some appearance of this man's name:
and the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and
Leummim;
these names being plural are thought not to be proper names of
men, but appellatives, descriptive of their places of abode, or
of their business: hence the Targum of Onkelos represents them as
such that dwelt in camps, in tents, and in islands; and the
Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call them merchants, artificers
and heads of the people: however, Cleodemus F19 the
Heathen historian is wrong in deriving Assyria from Asshurim,
whom he calls Ashur; since Assyria and Assyrians are so called
from Ashur, the son of Shem, ( Genesis
10:22 ) .