The Kenites were a people whose name has been interpreted as "smiths" by some and by others related to the word "nest". These interpretations are not sure, however.

The Bible does not say anything clear about their origin. They are often mentioned in connection with other peoples. Some have believed they were a subgroup of the Midianites, but the name Kenites is mentioned even before Abraham's son Midian was born.

In Exodus, they are mentioned in connection with the Midianites. Jethro and his family are sometimes referred to as Kenites and sometimes as Midianites. Some believe there must have been two different groups called by the name Kenites. It may also have been that some Kenites were living together with the Midianites, thus being Midianites only in a geographic sense. The two peoples may also have become mixed by intermarriage.

Other well-known Kenites were Heber, the husband of Jael, and Rechab, the ancestor of the Rechabites.

The televangelist Arnold Murry teaches that the Kenites are the descendants of Cain, and that Cain is the offspring of Satan and Eve. This is called the "serpent seed" doctrine.

External links

• The serpent seed and the Kenites