Letushim

At a Glance

A minor biblical clan name listed among Dedan’s descendants in Genesis 25:3.

Key Points

• Appears only in a genealogy
• Linked to Dedan, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah
• No further biblical history or doctrine is attached to the name

Description

Letushim is a brief genealogical name in Genesis 25:3, where it appears among the descendants of Dedan, himself a descendant of Abraham through Keturah. The biblical text does not explain the group’s location, later history, or broader significance. For that reason, Letushim should be understood as a biblical proper name for a people group rather than as a theological concept. Any attempt to identify them more precisely than Scripture does would be speculative.

Biblical Context

Genesis 25 records Abraham’s later family line through Keturah and lists several descendant groups, including Letushim. The notice is genealogical, not narrative, and functions to show the spread of Abraham’s offspring.

Historical Context

Outside the Bible, the identity of the Letushim is not clearly established. They are commonly understood as an ancient clan or tribal group connected to the broader Arabian or desert setting of Abraham’s descendants, but Scripture does not give enough detail to define them more precisely.

Jewish and Ancient Context

Jewish interpretive tradition does not attach major doctrinal significance to the name. The entry remains best handled as a minor genealogical designation.

Primary Key Texts

• Genesis 25:3

Secondary Key Texts

• None beyond the direct genealogical notice in Genesis 25:3.

Original Language Note

Hebrew לְטוּשִׁים (letushim), a transliterated proper name in the genealogy of Genesis 25:3.

Theological Significance

Letushim has no direct theological doctrine attached to it. Its significance is literary and genealogical, showing that Abraham’s family line extended into multiple peoples and clans.

Philosophical Explanation

This entry illustrates how Scripture often preserves names of peoples without further explanation. The presence of a name in the biblical record does not by itself imply a separate doctrine or symbol.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not overinterpret the name or force a later ethnic identification onto it. Scripture gives only a brief genealogical notice, so claims beyond Genesis 25:3 should be treated cautiously.

Major Views

Most treatments simply recognize Letushim as one of the peoples descended from Dedan. Specific identifications are uncertain and not essential to the biblical text.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Do not derive doctrine from this name. Its role is genealogical, not theological, and it should not be used to support speculative ethnic or prophetic schemes.

Practical Significance

Letushim reminds readers that biblical genealogies preserve real people and peoples, even when Scripture gives little detail. It also encourages careful reading and restraint where the Bible is brief.

Related Entries

• Abraham
• Keturah
• Dedan
• Genesis 25

See Also

• Genealogy
• People groups
• Arabian descendants