TEMANITE

A term generally understood to refer to a native of Teman in Edom. An early Edomite king, Husham, came from the “land of the Temanites,” and Eliphaz, one of Job’s three companions, was a Temanite. (Gen. 36:31-34; Job 2:11; 4:1; 42:7) That Eliphaz came from Teman in Edom is suggested by the understanding that the land of Uz, where Job lived, was near Edom. Some scholars, however, believe that there is a possibility that the Eliphaz named in the book of Job was, not from Teman, but from Tema, a place identified with an oasis on the Arabian Peninsula about 250 miles (402 kilometers) SE of Ezion-geber.—Job 6:19.