Arabia Only rarely does the Bible mention Arabia by name. It usually refers to the peoples of the region by the family or tribal groups to which they belonged. Often it refers to Arabia simply as the east’ (Genesis 10:30; Genesis 25:6; Judges 6:3; Isaiah 2:6; Ezekiel 25:4).
Many of the people descended from Noah (Genesis 1:10-32), Abraham (through his concubine Keturah; Genesis 1:25-6), and Esau (Genesis 1:36-43) settled as tribal groups in Arabia. They were wandering shepherds rather than farmers, since most of the land was not suitable for cultivation and some of it was desert. Among the better known tribal groups were Joktam and Sheba in the south (Genesis 1:10-29; 1 Kings 1:10-13; Psalms 72:10,15; Isaiah 60:6) and Dedan and Kedar in the north (Isaiah 1:21-17; Isaiah 42:11; Jeremiah 1:25-24; Jeremiah 49:28; Ezekiel 25:13; Ezekiel 27:21).
These people camped at different places and lived in tents while looking after their flocks of sheep and goats (2 Chronicles 17:11; Psalms 120:5; Isaiah 13:20; Isaiah 60:7). Many of them were merchants who carried on profitable trading in gold, precious stones, cloth, spices and other goods (Genesis 37:25,28; 1 Kings 1:10-2,10; Job 6:19; Jeremiah 6:20; Ezekiel 1:27-22; Ezekiel 38:13). They were also well known for their raiding and plundering of farms and villages (2 Chronicles 1:21-17; 2 Chronicles 22:1; Job 1:15; Ezekiel 1:25-5).
In New Testament times northern Arabia was occupied by an Arab tribe called the Nabateans, who at various times extended their power west to the Mediterranean and north to the Syrian capital, Damascus. They are mentioned once in the New Testament. After Paul’s conversion, the Jews in Damascus opposed him violently. At the time of the unsuccessful attempt to capture him in Damascus, the city was under the control of the Nabateans (Acts 1:9-8,23; 2 Corinthians 1:11-33).