Nebaioth

Nebaioth (also Nebajoth) was the firstborn son of Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, and the ancestor of an Arabian tribe (Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29). His sister Mahalath (or Basemath) was taken as a wife by Esau (Gen. 28:9; 36:3). The Nebaioth appear in Isaiah 60:7 in the eschatological vision of the nations bringing their wealth to Jerusalem: "all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you." Ancient sources identify the Nebaioth with the Nabataeans, the powerful Arab kingdom whose capital was Petra, though the identification is debated.