The Bible gives a very specific history. While large empires grew and covered the earth, the Scripture focuses on a redemptive story through a redeemed people. Other nations are mentioned in relation to their interactions with Israel. The Sabeans were a people group from these ancient days, and while obscure, they still had an impact on God’s redemptive story.
As the Bible compiles the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit across centuries, the inclusion of the Sabeans is no accident. Who were these people, and what does God want to teach us through them?
Where Does the Bible Mention the Sabeans?
Genesis 10:7 links the Sabeans to the descendants of Cush, the son of Ham and grandson of Noah. The text mentions Seba as Cush’s son, and perhaps the Sabeans came from his lineage. This connects them to the Cushite peoples living in northeast Africa and southern Arabia.
A second possible origin, although less likely, appears in Genesis 25:3. After Sarah died, Abraham took another wife, Keturah, and she had a son, Jokshan, who fathered Sheba. This suggests a more Semitic connection and part of the wide network of Abraham’s descendants, many of whom became nations of their own.
The earlier Cushite connection seems more likely since the Sabeans are mentioned in Job 1:15, and Job was a contemporary of Abraham. It would have taken time for them to become a larger people group, so the Genesis 10:7 lineage makes more sense.
In Job, the Sabeans raid and attack Job’s servants, killing them and stealing his donkeys and oxen. This portrays them as violent raiders, aligning with the Sabeans’ historical reputation as a people involved in trade or even piracy to obtain wealth and goods. For Job, the Sabean attack becomes part of his suffering initiated by the Devil to test his faith. Their inclusion here supports their notoriety for such violent behavior.
The Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon in 1 Kings 10 since she hears of his famous wisdom. The queen brings an abundance of gifts, including gold, spices, and precious stones. The text doesn’t specify Sheba's connection to the Sabeans, but history and geography support the possibility. Sheba was part of southern Arabia (modern Yemen), which scholars associate with the Cushite people groups. This prime trading location would have made Sheba and the queen incredibly wealthy and key players in the ancient world. If Sheba and the Sabeans were associated, later prophetic writings also make more sense.
How Did the Sabeans Start as Nomads and Become a Nation?
By piecing together the biblical information and hints about the Sabeans, academics can trace this nation from a nomadic Cushite people to a more stable trading nation, as happened with many tribes in the Near East.
From Job and other sources, the Cushites were likely early nomadic or semi-nomadic groups. They would have moved around to survive in such dry, arid environments. Such peoples herded livestock, engaged in trade, and possibly raided other tribes to gain wealth. Nomadic groups like the early Sabeans learned to adapt and use every resource available, skills that would develop a strong people. Their mobility gave them access to a wide network of markets, trade routes, and cultures, laying the foundation for later stability.
To settle, the Sabeans would have sought fertile regions like southern Arabia. This transition could have been driven by access to key resources like water and vegetation. Settling allowed them to develop expensive spices like frankincense and myrrh. Over time, trade routes expanded between Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean, and the Sabeans would have grown in wealth and influence. By the time of 1 Kings 10, the Sabeans could have established themselves as a major trading kingdom known as Sheba. The queen’s visit to King Solomon reveals Sheba’s role in trade and diplomacy, which is far from the earlier nomadic roots.
While much of the above is conjecture based on a few biblical sources, the shift from nomadism to nationhood was a common pattern in ancient history. Nomadic tribes would gradually settle, take advantage of local resources, and establish a more stable and central government. The Israelite history also mirrors this development—from Abraham living in tents, to Isaac and Jacob continuing the pattern of nomadic herding, to slavery in Egypt. After their deliverance, the Israelites wandered the wilderness before conquering and setting in the Promised Land, Canaan. First came a period of tribal military and spiritual deliverers, the Judges, and then Israel desired a king. David and Solomon’s kingdom grew in influence, power, and wealth.
For the Sabeans, a similar evolution likely happened, transforming them from a Cushite clan to a wealthy kingdom at the crossroads of major trade routes.
How Do the Prophets Use the Sabeans as Symbols?
Long after King Solomon, Isaiah and Ezekiel both use the Sabeans as symbols to teach spiritual messages.
In Isaiah 45:14, the prophet uses the Sabeans to symbolize a submission to the Lord’s authority:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; they shall walk behind you, they shall come over in chains, and they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”
Here, Isaiah shows the Sabeans as a wealthy and powerful people, and their submission to the truth of God reveals the ultimate triumph of God’s purposes through his chosen servant, Cyrus. The prophet lists the Sabeans with Cush and Egypt, supporting the geographic and tribal connections. The text notes their merchandise and describes them as “men of stature,” either their trading reputation or physical prowess. Their surrender in this vision communicates how even the wealthiest and mightiest nations will submit to God’s plan, specifically the elevation of Cyrus in this case.
Ezekiel 23:42 mentions the Sabeans as a critique of Jerusalem and Samaria’s unfaithfulness to God.
“The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.”
The prophet uses the Sabeans to represent how Judah continually entered into dangerous foreign partnerships, usually for wealth or military alliance. Here, the Sabeans signify a more exotic temptation of worldly goods, and the phrase “from the wilderness” points back to the nomadic trader days. Usually, Judah’s pursuit of these alliances led to forgetting their covenant with God, mainly worshipping their false gods and participating in pride.
Ezekiel 27:22 again refers to the Sabeans, this time in a lament for Tyre, another wealthy trading city state.
“The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the finest of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold.”
Again, the Bible associates Sheba with wealth, trade, and their expensive goods like spices, jewels, and gold. Tyre had relationships with these other merchant kingdoms, but Ezekiel mentions Sheba and Raamah to mark the great success Tyre had. However, God prophesies how Tyre will fall because they trusted in money rather than God.
Therefore, Isaiah and Ezekiel use the Sabeans in messages about wealth in the context of the consequences of pride and idolatry.
What Can Christians Today Learn From the Sabeans?
In Job 1:15, the Bible describes the Sabeans as raiders who violently attacked Job’s servants, killed them, and stole livestock. This aggression reveals their readiness to use violence to pursue wealth. While the Bible doesn’t offer more details about the Sabeans’ character, this aligns with a biblical theme: the misuse of power and wealth often leads to oppression.
The prophets continually warn those who exploit others for gain. Isaiah 10:1-2 condemns those who create unjust laws and create injustice to take away the rights of the poor, robbing the needy. We must be careful to resist any leaders or lawmakers who try to enact laws that would take from the poor to give to the rich, one of the biblical examples of injustice God hates.
Wealth can be deceptive in more subtle ways. Even if we don’t directly cause injustice or violence to the poor, we start to place our trust in money instead of God, leading us away from him into idolatry. The Sabeans were used as prophetic warnings for this reason.
Moses warned the Israelites not to grow comfortable in the abundance of the Promised Land and forget God’s commands. First, he urged them to be thankful to God for prosperity since their wealth came from him. Next, Moses warned them that self-satisfaction could lead to pride and self-reliance. “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8:17). Despite the warning, the Israelites fell into this pattern, as we see in Judges and 1 Kings 11 with Solomon. While God wants to bless us, we must be aware of the dangers of treasure and the love of money.
The caution surrounding wealth continues in the New Testament. Jesus taught about the dangers of having riches. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). Christ spoke this after engaging with the rich young ruler who refused to give up his possessions to follow Jesus. The wealthy begin to trust their material security, and this makes it harder for them to fully and humbly surrender to God’s will.
Paul addresses the wealthy in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, also encouraging them not to place their hope in riches but in God. “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
James offers a similar rebuke in James 5:1-6: “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” James warns fellow believers how greed and oppression bring God’s judgment, reminding us of the consequences of wealth gained through oppression.
From the Sabeans, we can learn that wealth isn’t inherently evil, but its misuse can lead to danger and deception. We should be careful with our money and possessions, remembering to be generous and to share our resources with those in need. God himself gives generously, the best of himself for the good of others. As his followers, so must we. Greed is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5); prioritizing wealth means we worship money, keeping us from being the givers God desires for us to be. Seeking first the Kingdom, we trust God’s provision in all things. He will take care of us.
Aligning our use of resources with Kingdom principles, we reveal his justice and love to the world.
Peace.
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