Original Word: דּוּמָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: Duwmah
Pronunciation: DOO-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (doo-maw')
KJV: Dumah
NASB: Dumah
Word Origin: [the same as H1745 (דּוּמָה - silence)]

1. Dumah, a tribe and region of Arabia

Dumah

The same as duwmah; Dumah, a tribe and region of Arabia -- Dumah.

see HEBREW duwmah

Word Origin
from the same as dumah
Definition
a son of Ishmael, also a city in Judah and a name of Edom
NASB Translation
Dumah (3).

Overview

Dumah appears four times in the Old Testament, functioning variously as the name of a son of Ishmael, the clan that descended from him, a fortified town in Judah’s hill country, and the subject of a brief yet weighty prophetic oracle. Together these occurrences form a coherent biblical picture that spans the Patriarchal age, the Conquest, the United Kingdom period, and the era of eighth–century prophecy.

Genealogical Roots (Genesis 25:14; 1 Chronicles 1:30)

Dumah is listed among the twelve sons of Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn by Hagar. As with Ishmael’s other sons, the name also designates the tribe that issued from him and ultimately a region they occupied. This lineage underscores the fulfillment of God’s earlier word to Hagar that Ishmael would become “a great nation” (Genesis 21:18). Although outside the covenant line of Isaac, the Ishmaelites remained within the sweep of redemptive history, often interacting with Israel both commercially and militarily.

Tribal Territory in the Arabian Desert

Ancient Near Eastern records and later classical sources identify an oasis stronghold known as Adummatu (modern-day Dumat al-Jandal in north-central Saudi Arabia). Many scholars locate Ishmaelite Dumah here, situated on the main caravan route linking Mesopotamia, Transjordan, and the Arabian Peninsula. The strategic position brought both prosperity and vulnerability: trading wealth invited the attention of Assyrian kings such as Sennacherib and Esarhaddon, who campaigned against the oasis in the seventh century B.C. Dumah thus illustrates God’s provision for Ishmael’s descendants as well as the transient security of all nations that stand apart from His covenant.

Dumah of Judah (Joshua 15:52)

The same name surfaces again among the thirty-eight cities allotted to Judah’s hill country: “Arab, Dumah, Eshan”. This Dumah likely corresponds to Khirbet ed-Daumeh, roughly twelve miles southwest of Hebron at an elevation commanding the southern approaches to the Judean highlands. Its placement within Judah’s inheritance highlights the tribe’s growing administrative network during the settlement era and foreshadows the monarchy’s later use of fortified towns to secure supply lines and refugee routes.

Prophetic Oracle against Dumah (Isaiah 21:11)

“An oracle concerning Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, ‘Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?’”.

Isaiah’s succinct “burden” combines two ironies. First, he addresses Dumah yet situates the inquiry in Seir, the mountainous home of Edom. Second, the very name Dumah (linked to “silence” or “stillness”) stands in tension with the urgent cry of a night sentinel straining for dawn. The watchman replies that morning is coming—yet night will return—a poetic way of declaring that relief for Edom will be temporary and judgment inevitable. The oracle therefore functions as a sobering reminder that neither kinship with Abraham nor geographic remoteness exempts a nation from the moral demands of the covenant God.

Strategic and Theological Themes

1. Promise and Providence: Dumah’s lineage from Ishmael proves God’s faithfulness to protect and multiply Abraham’s other offspring while still channeling the messianic line through Isaac.
2. Silence and Vigilance: The play on Dumah’s name in Isaiah 21 contrasts complacent “silence” with the prophetic necessity of watchful intercession.
3. Judgment and Mercy: The cyclical night-day-night imagery points to God’s patience toward Gentile peoples yet affirms that final justice will prevail.
4. Geographic Object Lessons: Whether the desert oasis of Arabia or the hillside town of Judah, Dumah’s settings remind readers that divine sovereignty reaches into both wilderness trade hubs and covenant territories.

Ministry Reflections

• The watchman’s dialogue challenges believers to persistent vigilance in prayer for nations that live in spiritual darkness yet momentarily taste God’s common grace.
• Dumah’s brief biblical footprint encourages ministries among peoples who appear peripheral to the gospel narrative; none are outside God’s missionary intent (Genesis 12:3; Acts 15:17).
• The oscillation between dawn and night in Isaiah 21:11–12 models a balanced proclamation: declare hope without obscuring the reality of coming judgment.

Key References

Genesis 25:14; Joshua 15:52; 1 Chronicles 1:30; Isaiah 21:11

דּוּמָ֑ה דומה וְדוּמָ֔ה וְדוּמָ֖ה וְרוּמָ֖ה ודומה ורומה dū·māh duMah dūmāh veduMah veruMah wə·ḏū·māh wə·rū·māh wəḏūmāh wərūmāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts