Original Word: דָּדָן
Part of Speech: proper name, of a location; proper name, of a location or a people
Transliteration: Ddan
Pronunciation: deh-DAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (ded-awn')
KJV: Dedan
NASB: Dedan
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. Dedan, the name of two Cushites and of their territory

Dedan

Or (prolonged) Ddaneh (Ezek. 25:13) {deh-daw'- neh}; of uncertain derivation; Dedan, the name of two Cushites and of their territory -- Dedan.

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a desc. of Ham, also a desc. of Abraham, also the tribes desc. from them
NASB Translation
Dedan (11).

דְּדָן proper name, of a location & a people; — ׳ד Genesis 10:7 8t. + Ezekiel 27:20 (but see below) with ה locative דְּדָ֫נֶה Ezekiel 25:13 compare Ges^{§ 90}, 2 near the end; —

1 under figure of son of רַעֲמָה and grandson of כּוּשׁ (see these arts.) Genesis 10:7 (brother of שְׁבָא) = 1 Chronicles 1:9; Ezekiel 27:20; compare ׳בְּנֵי ד Ezekiel 27:15 (but read here perhaps רדן ᵐ5 υιὁὶ Ῥοδίων, compare Sta^{De Pop. Javan. 11}, also ᵑ6 Co; see below דֹּדָנִים below) compare also Ezekiel 38:13, ׳שְׁבָא וּד; south-Arabian tribe on Persian Gulf, = Sabean בנו דדן according to DHM^{ZMG 1876, 122; Sab. Denkm. 28 (dubit. Mordt)}; but in northwest of Arabian peninsula, Glaser^{Skizze ii. 391 ff.}; perhaps originally further south compare Di Genesis 10:7.

2 as son of יָקְשָׁן father of אַשּׁוּרִם etc., Genesis 25:3 (twice in verse) (here also brother of שְׁבָא) = 1 Chronicles 1:32; Jeremiah 25:23; Jeremiah 49:8 ׳ישְׁבֵי ד. This is apparently a northern branch of 1, compare Di Genesis 25:3. — On דדן in MI^31,31 compare Sm & So^{MI p. 29} Nö^{LCB Jan. 8, 1887} ClGann^{JAssyrian Jan. 1887. 107}.

דְּדָ֫נֶה see דְּדָןָ.

רֹדָן proper name, of a location or a people Rhodes, Rhodians, so read, ׳בְּנֵי ר Ezekiel 27:15 (for ᵑ0 בְּנֵי דְּדָן, see ׳ד 1), ᵐ5 Sta Co Berthol Toy Krae.

Genealogical Roots

Dedan appears in two distinct ancestral lines. In Genesis 10:7 the name designates a grandson of Cush through Raamah, placing one branch of the Dedanites within the Hamitic table of nations that disperses after the Flood. A second branch descends from Abraham through Keturah: “Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan” (Genesis 25:3). 1 Chronicles 1:9 and 1 Chronicles 1:32 preserve both lines, underscoring that Scripture intentionally records separate origins. The duplication indicates either an early inter-tribal merger or the reuse of a patriarchal name for unrelated peoples whose territories later converged.

Geographical Identification

Later prophetic passages situate Dedan in north-western Arabia, adjacent to Edom and extending toward the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Jeremiah’s command, “Turn and flee; hide in deep caves, O inhabitants of Dedan” (Jeremiah 49:8), implies rocky refuges such as the sandstone escarpments of modern-day Al-‘Ula. Ezekiel’s pairing of “Teman to Dedan” (Ezekiel 25:13) reinforces a south-to-north sweep along the caravan routes east of the Rift Valley. Archaeological remains at the oasis of Dadan (Dedan) in Al-‘Ula—including monumental tombs and inscriptions from the first millennium B.C.—harmonize with the biblical portrait of a thriving Arabian center poised between Edom, Midian, and the coastal trade of the Red Sea.

Commercial and Maritime Significance

Dedan’s strategic location fostered commerce between Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean. “The men of Dedan were your merchants… ivory tusks and ebony they brought you as payment” (Ezekiel 27:15). Their caravans supplied luxury goods—precious woods, ivory, and saddle blankets (Ezekiel 27:20)—that passed through Tyre’s emporium. In the same oracle the Dedanites stand alongside Sheba and Tarshish (Ezekiel 38:13), testifying to their reach across land and sea. From a ministry vantage, the text illustrates how economic power can become entangled with the pride of worldly systems; the fall of Tyre warns believers not to set hope on uncertain riches (1 Timothy 6:17).

Prophetic Oracles

Jeremiah and Ezekiel employ Dedan as both audience and geographic marker in judgments against Edom. Jeremiah 25:23 groups Dedan with Tema and Buz in the cup of wrath that all nations must drink, highlighting God’s impartial justice. Ezekiel 25:13 declares that Dedan’s territory will be caught up in the sword that strikes Edom. Yet in Ezekiel 38:13 Dedan voices objection to Gog’s invasion: “Have you come to plunder?”. The prophecy anticipates end-time alliances and reminds readers that God orchestrates history toward the ultimate vindication of His name.

Spiritual and Ministry Reflections

1. Dual ancestry underscores that God’s sovereignty extends over every people, whether traced to Ham or to Abraham.
2. Dedan’s wealth did not exempt it from judgment; prosperity apart from covenant faithfulness offers no refuge.
3. The flight to caves (Jeremiah 49:8) mirrors the believer’s call to flee worldliness and seek shelter in the Rock of Ages (Psalms 18:2).
4. Dedan’s questioning of Gog (Ezekiel 38:13) invites the Church to discern global movements and align with God’s purposes rather than with exploitative powers.
5. The record of Dedan in genealogies, trade lists, and prophetic warnings affirms the unity of Scripture: history, economics, and eschatology all converge under divine inspiration.

Summary of Occurrences

Genesis 10:7; Genesis 25:3 (twice); 1 Chronicles 1:9; 1 Chronicles 1:32; Jeremiah 25:23; Jeremiah 49:8; Ezekiel 25:13; Ezekiel 27:15; Ezekiel 27:20; Ezekiel 38:13.

דְּדָ֑ן דְּדָ֤ן דְּדָן֙ דְדָ֔ן דְדָן֙ דדן וּ֠דְדָן וּדְדָ֖נֶה וּדְדָֽן׃ ודדן ודדן׃ ודדנה də·ḏān ḏə·ḏān deDan dəḏān ḏəḏān ū·ḏə·ḏā·neh ū·ḏə·ḏān udeDan ūḏəḏān udeDaneh ūḏəḏāneh UdedonInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts