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Concept
Kenites
Summary
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Kenites/Qenites (ˈkiːnaɪt or ˈkɛnaɪt; Qēinī) were a tribe in the ancient Levant. They settled in the towns and cities in the northeastern Negev in an area known as the "Negev of the Kenites" near Arad, and played an important role in the history of ancient Israel. One of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law, although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time.
Other well-known Kenites were: Heber, husband of Jael, the Biblical heroine who killed General Sisera; and Rechab, the ancestor of the Rechabites.
The word קֵינִי (qênî / Kay-nee) was a patronymic derived from the word קַיִן (qayin). There are several competing interpretations of the meaning of the etymology.
Early modern critical biblical scholars supposed that the name was a rendition of Hebrew קֵינִי Qeyniy. According to the German orientalist Wilhelm Gesenius, the name is derived from the name Cain (קַיִן Qayin)., the same name as Cain the son of Adam and Eve. However this may simply be the ancient Hebrew transliteration or phonetization of the Kenites' name in their own language.
The word spelled קַיִן (qayin / Kah-yin). could also mean a spear or lance קַיִן (qayin / Kah-yin). derived from the word קוֹנֵן (qônēn / Koon) which meant to "strike" (The word would also be used to mean striking a note on a musical instrument, by the later books of the Bible this word became the noun for a type of lament, dirge, or sad chant. Later becoming a verb for chanting or wailing at a funeral)
Other scholars have linked the name to the term 'smith'. According to Archibald Henry Sayce, the name ‘Kenite’ or Qéní, is identical to an Aramaic word meaning a smith, which in its turn is a cognate of Hebrew Qayin, meaning ‘a lance’.
Official source
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