The name Kedar, derived from a Hebrew root meaning “dark,” “swarthy,” or “mournful,” first appears in the sacred genealogies of Genesis 25:13 and 1 Chronicles 1:29. He was the second son of Ishmael and a grandson of Abraham, destined by divine promise to become one of the twelve princes of his nation. However, in the broader scope of the “Defence of the Truth,” Kedar represents more than a mere branch on a family tree; he is the progenitor of a powerful nomadic people whose “tents” and “glory” became a recurring symbol in the prophetic warnings and poetic lamentations of the Holy Scriptures.
The descendants of Kedar were renowned throughout the ancient world as skilled archers and wealthy merchant princes. They inhabited the rugged wilderness of Northern Arabia, living in distinctive black tents made of goat hair—a detail captured in the Song of Solomon 1:5: “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon”. Despite their military prowess and commercial success, trading in lambs, rams, and goats with the great merchant city of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:21), the glory of Kedar was a fleeting, earthly glory that stood in stark contrast to the eternal Kingdom of God.
The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah often used Kedar as a primary example of the inevitable judgment that falls upon those who trust in their own strength and “mighty men.” In a sharp declaration of divine sovereignty, Isaiah prophesied the swift decline of their power: “Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail” (Isaiah 21:16). Furthermore, the Psalmist used Kedar as a metaphor for a place of spiritual exile and hostility toward the truth, crying out, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!” (Psalm 120:5). To dwell in the tents of Kedar was to be surrounded by those who “hate peace” and remain far from the covenant promises of the Living God.
Yet, even for the descendants of Kedar, the Word of God offers a glimpse of future redemption. In the vision of the coming glory of the Lord’s kingdom, Isaiah speaks of a day when “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar” (Isaiah 60:7). This movement from the dark, nomadic tents of the wilderness to the glorious light of God’s altar signifies the ultimate triumph of the Gospel over every nation and tribe, bringing even the “swarthy” and distant peoples into the service of the King.
Kedar’s history stands as a firm theological reminder that neither wealth, nor skill in warfare, nor ancestral pedigree can shield a people from the “The Testimony of the Times.” The glory of man is as the flower of the field, but the Word of our God shall stand forever. Like the tents of Kedar, the structures of this world are temporary and easily moved, but those who build upon the Rock of Ages shall never be confounded. We must look beyond the “glory of Kedar” to the “blessed hope” of the appearing of our Great God and Saviour.