kenite Summary and Overview
Bible Dictionaries at a Glance
kenite in Schaff's Bible Dictionary
KEN'ITE (smith), a tribe of Midian, between Palestine and Sinai and east of the Gulf of Akabah. Their land was promised to Abraham. Gen 15:19. Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, was a Kenite. Jud 1:16. They were mentioned in Balaam's prophecy. Num 24:21. Part of the tribe joined Israel, and lived south of Judah. Jud 1:16. One family migrated to the far north. There Heber dwelt. Jud 4:11. The Kenites were friendly with the Canaanites, Amalekites, and Israelites. Saul and David spared them in their raids on Amalek on account of their former kindness. 1 Sam 15:6; 1 Sam 27:10; 1 Sam 30:29. A family of Kenites came of Hemath, father of the house of Rechab. 1 Chr 2:55.