Bible Encyclopedia: Maon

Jump to: Hitchcock's • Smith's • ATS • ISBE • Easton's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

MAON; MAONITES

ma'-on, ma'-on-its, ma-o'-nits (ma`on; Septuagint: Codex Vaticanus Maor, Maan; Codex Alexandrinus Maon):

(1) A town in the mountain of Judah named along with Carmel and Ziph (Joshua 15:55). It appears again as the home of Nabal, the great flockmaster (1 Samuel 25:2). In the genealogical list of 1 Chronicles 2, Maon stands as the "son" of Shammai and the "father" of Beth-zur (2:44, 45). This evidently means that Shammai was the founder of Maon. About a mile South of el-Karmil, the ancient Carmel, lies Tell Ma`in. This may be confidently identified with Maon, the radicals of the names being the same. It suits the requirements of the narratives in other respects, being near to Carmel, while the surrounding wilderness is still used as the wide pasture land for multitudinous flocks. In this district, the wilderness of Maon, David was hiding when his whereabouts was betrayed to Saul by the men of Ziph (1 Samuel 23:24 f), and only a timely raid by the Philistines delivered him out of that monarch's hands (1 Samuel 23:27).

(2) (Madiam): Maon is named along with the Zidonians and Amalek as having at some time, not mentioned, oppressed Israel (Judges 10:12). The Septuagint "Midian" has been accepted by some scholars as restoring the original text, since, otherwise, the Midianites remain unmentioned. But the Maonites are evidently identical with the Meunim of 1 Chronicles 4:41 (Revised Version), the pastoral people destroyed by Hezekiah. In 2 Chronicles 20:1 the King James Version, instead of "other beside the Ammonites" we must read "some of the Meunim," as associated with the Ammonites in the battle with Jehoshaphat. Against them also Uzziah was helped of God (2 Chronicles 26:7). They are included among the inhabitants of Mt. Seir (2 Chronicles 20:10, 23), so that an Edomite tribe is intended. It is natural to connect them with Ma`an, a place on the great pilgrimage road, and now a station on the Damascus-Hejaz Railway, to the Southeast of Petra. It undoubtedly represents an ancient stronghold.

The Maonites appear in the lists of those who returned from exile (Ezra 2:50, the King James Version "Mehunim," the Revised Version (British and American) "Meunim"; Nehemiah 7:52, "Meunim"). These may possibly be the descendants of prisoners taken in the wars of Jehoshaphat and Uzziah, to whom menial tasks may have been appointed in the temple services.

W. Ewing

Strong's Hebrew

4584. Maon -- "habitation," a place in Judah, also a man of Judah ...
... 4583, 4584. Maon. 4585 . "habitation," a ... Isr. Transliteration: Maon
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-ohn') Short Definition: Maon. Word ...
/hebrew/4584.htm - 6k

4583. maon -- dwelling, habitation
maon or main. 4582, 4583. maon or main. 4584 . dwelling, habitation.
Transliteration: maon or main Phonetic Spelling: (maw-ohn') Short Definition: ...
/hebrew/4583.htm - 6k

4586. Meunim -- a people Southeast of the Dead Sea
... Mehunims, Meunim. Or Msiyniy {meh-ee-nee'}; probably patrial from Ma'own; a Meunite,
or inhabitant of Maon (only in plural) -- Mehunim(-s), Meunim. ...
/hebrew/4586.htm - 6k

1010. Beth Baal Meon -- "house of Baal of (the) habitation," a ...
... Word Origin from bayith, Baal, and maon Definition "house of Baal of (the) habitation,"
a place E. of the Jordan NASB Word Usage Beth-baal-meon (1), Beth-meon ...
/hebrew/1010.htm - 6k

4585. meonah -- habitation
... Word Origin fem. of maon Definition habitation NASB Word Usage den (2), dens (4),
dwelling place (2), habitations (1). den, habitation, dwelling place, refuge. ...
/hebrew/4585.htm - 6k

1186. Baal Meon -- "Baal of (the) habitation," a place East of the ...
... Word Origin from Baal and maon Definition "Baal of (the) habitation," a place
E. of the Jordan NASB Word Usage Baal-meon (3). Baal-meon. ...
/hebrew/1186.htm - 6k

Library

Abigail's Sensible Advice
... THE OLD TESTAMENT ABIGAIL'S SENSIBLE ADVICE. Then David went away into the Wilderness
of Maon. Now there was a man in Maon, whose property was in Carmel. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/abigails sensible advice.htm

How David, when He had Twice the Opportunity of Killing Saul did ...
... intentions of the men of Ziph, and the approach of Saul, he left the Straits of
that country, and fled to the great rock that was in the wilderness of Maon. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how david when.htm

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
... the pious; Zebhul, in which the Upper Jerusalem, and the Temple and the Altar, and
in which Michael, the chief Angel-Prince, offers sacrifices; Maon, in which ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xii the baptism of.htm

The World, Created by God, Still Cherished and Protected by Him. ...
... At the very same moment when David was discovered in the wilderness of Maon, the
Philistines make an inroad into the country, and Saul is forced to depart (1 ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 16 the world created.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6. <. ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

In Judaea
... fanciful. [17] Such as Tekoah, Engedi, Ziph, Maon, and Beersheba, which
gave their names to districts in the wilderness of Judaea. ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 5 in judaea.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Maon

house; place of sin

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Maon

(habitation), one of the cities of the tribe of Judah, in the district of the mountains. (Joshua 15:55) Its interest for us lies in its connection with David. (1 Samuel 23:24,25) The name of Maon still exists in Main , a lofty conical hill, south of and about seven miles distant from Hebron.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Maon

A town in the edge of the hill-country of Judah, Joshua 15:55, near which Nabal lived and David took refuge from Saul, 1 Samuel 23:24 25; 25:2. Dr Robinson finds it the ruinous place called Main, seven miles south by east from Hebron.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Habitation, a town in the tribe of Judah, about 7 miles south of Hebron, which gave its name to the wilderness, the district round the conical hill on which the town stood. Here David hid from Saul, and here Nabal had his possessions and his home (1 Samuel 23:24, 25; 25:2). "Only some small foundations of hewn stone, a square enclosure, and several cisterns are now to be seen at Maon. Are they the remains of Nabal's great establishment?" The hill is now called Tell M'ain.

Thesaurus

Maon (7 Occurrences)
... and his home (1 Samuel 23:24, 25; 25:2). "Only some small foundations of hewn stone,
a square enclosure, and several cisterns are now to be seen at Maon. ...
/m/maon.htm - 12k

Maonites (3 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia MAON; MAONITES. ma'-on, ma ... 2:44, 45). This
evidently means that Shammai was the founder of Maon. ...
/m/maonites.htm - 10k

Ma'on (4 Occurrences)
Ma'on. Maon, Ma'on. Maonites . Multi-Version Concordance Ma'on (4 Occurrences).
Joshua 15:55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Jutah, (See RSV). ...
/m/ma'on.htm - 7k

Ziph (9 Occurrences)
... ZIPH (1). zif (ziph; Ozeib, or Ziph): (1) A town in the hill country of Judah,
mentioned along with Maon, Carmel and Jutah (Joshua 15:55). ...
/z/ziph.htm - 11k

Shammai (5 Occurrences)
... (2) The son of Rekem and father of Maon (1 Chronicles 2:44). ... 1 Chronicles 2:45 The
son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth Zur. ...
/s/shammai.htm - 8k

Sela-hammahlekoth (1 Occurrence)
... Cliff of divisions the name of the great gorge which lies between Hachilah and Maon,
south-east of Hebron. ... pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ...
/s/sela-hammahlekoth.htm - 7k

Selahammahlekoth (1 Occurrence)
... Cliff of divisions the name of the great gorge which lies between Hachilah and Maon,
south-east of Hebron. ... pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ...
/s/selahammahlekoth.htm - 7k

Carmel (33 Occurrences)
... The ruins of this town still remain under the name of Kurmul, about 10 miles
south-south-east of Hebron, close to those of Maon. Int. ...
/c/carmel.htm - 25k

Zur (9 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 2:45 The son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of
Beth Zur. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/z/zur.htm - 10k

Nabal (18 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Foolish, a descendant of Caleb who dwelt at Maon
(1 Samuel 25), the modern Main, 7 miles south-east of Hebron. ...
/n/nabal.htm - 16k

Bible Concordance

Maon (7 Occurrences)

Joshua 15:55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Jutah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Judges 10:12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 23:24 They arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 23:25 Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 25:1 And death came to Samuel; and all Israel came together, weeping for him, and put his body in its resting-place in his house at Ramah. Then David went down to the waste land of Maon.
(BBE NIV)

1 Samuel 25:2 There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:45 The son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Subtopics

Maon

Maon: A City Allotted to the Tribe of Judah

Maon: David (With his Insurgents) Encamps Near

Maon: The Place where Nabal Lived

Maon: Uzziah Engages in War Against the People of (Called Mehunims)

Related Terms

Maonites (3 Occurrences)

Ma'on (4 Occurrences)

Ziph (9 Occurrences)

Shammai (5 Occurrences)