1787. Dishon
Lexical Summary
Dishon: Dishon

Original Word: דִּישׁוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Diyshown
Pronunciation: dee-shone'
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-shone')
KJV: Dishon
NASB: Dishon
Word Origin: [from H1758 (דּוּשׁ דּוֹשׁ דִּישׁ - threshing)]

1. the leaper, i.e. an antelope
2. Dishon, the name of two Edomites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Dishon

(Diyshon, the same as diyshon; Dishon, the name of two Edomites -- Dishon.

see HEBREW diyshon

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from dishon
Definition
two Edomites
NASB Translation
Dishon (7).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. דִּישֹׁן proper name, masculine 1. a son of Seir דִּשׁוֺן Genesis 36:21 = דִּישֹׁן 1 Chronicles 1:38;

2 a son of Anah & grandson of Seir דִּשֹׁ֑ן Genesis 36:25 compare Genesis 36:30 so also Genesis 36:26 (for דִּישָׁן q. v.) = דִּישׁוֺן 1 Chronicles 1:41 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 1:42, compare also following

Topical Lexicon
Name and Meaning

Dishon (דישון) is most plausibly connected with the idea of a swift-moving animal such as a gazelle. The name itself therefore conveys vitality and agility, fitting imagery for a clan that would have needed speed and resourcefulness in the rugged hill country of Seir.

Biblical References

The personal and clan name occurs seven times, all within genealogical catalogues: Genesis 36:21, Genesis 36:25, Genesis 36:30; 1 Chronicles 1:38, 1 Chronicles 1:41 (twice in textual variants), and 1 Chronicles 1:42. Each reference situates Dishon among the sons or chiefs of Seir the Horite. A representative citation is Genesis 36:21: “Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan: these were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom”.

Family Lineage and Clan Identity

1. Son of Seir the Horite (Genesis 36:20-21).
2. Listed alongside brothers Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Ezer, and Dishan, forming the founding septet of Horite clans.
3. Father of at least two sons, Uz and Aran (Genesis 36:28; 1 Chronicles 1:42), indicating a sizable sub-clan within the wider Horite confederation.

Historical and Geographical Setting

The Horites were the original cave-dwelling inhabitants of Mount Seir, the mountainous territory south-east of the Dead Sea. Their culture pre-dated Esau’s incursion, yet they eventually merged with Edomite society (Deuteronomy 2:12). Dishon’s clan likely controlled an interior district of Seir, contributing to the strategic network of chiefs that governed trade routes connecting Arabia to the Levant. In the patriarchal era these chiefs functioned as semi-nomadic sheikhdoms, each with defined grazing lands, copper deposits, and caravan toll points.

Relationship to Esau and Edom

Genesis 36 intertwines Horite and Edomite lines, revealing an early pattern of intermarriage and political alliance. Seir’s offspring, including Dishon, become “chiefs” under an Edomite heading, underscoring how Esau’s descendants absorbed existing peoples instead of annihilating them. This composite identity explains later prophetic oracles against Edom that encapsulate both Horite and Edomite guilt (for example, Obadiah 1:8-10).

Cultural Significance of the Clan System

In the ancient Near East, a chief’s name often marked both a person and the group under his authority. Thus “Dishon” refers simultaneously to the patriarch and to the community that bore his banner. Tribal names were etched into territory, seals, and trade agreements, giving Dishon long-standing recognition among neighboring peoples even after individual members dispersed or intermarried.

Theological Reflections

1. Preservation of Genealogies. The meticulous recording of “minor” names like Dishon testifies to Scripture’s concern for historical precision and covenant continuity. Every clan, however obscure, stands within the unfolding plan that culminates in the Messiah (Luke 3 traces similar minutiae in the Messianic genealogy).
2. God’s Sovereignty over Nations. Dishon’s inclusion demonstrates divine oversight of non-Israelite peoples (Acts 17:26). Though outside the Abrahamic line, Horite clans still appear in inspired record because their destinies intersect God’s redemptive narrative.
3. Justice and Pride. Later prophetic condemnations of Edom illustrate a moral lesson: exalted chiefs were not immune to judgment. Dishon’s eventual absorption into Edom, and Edom’s later downfall, warn against resting in ethnic prestige or military geography.

Ministry Application

1. Discipleship and Detail. Teachers can highlight Dishon when modeling how “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). Even brief genealogical names carry lessons about heritage, humility, and God’s inclusivity.
2. Missions Perspective. Dishon illustrates how the gospel must reach every clan and tongue. Just as Scripture catalogued Horite tribes, the church should labor to ensure that no contemporary people group remains uncounted in Christ’s kingdom vision (Revelation 7:9).
3. Leadership and Legacy. Christian leaders, like ancient chiefs, shape generations. The name “Dishon” survived because a patriarch established structures that endured. Ministry today likewise builds legacies—either of faithfulness or of forgotten notoriety.

Conclusion

Dishon stands as a small yet significant thread in the tapestry of Genesis and Chronicles. Though the biblical text offers no exploits or speeches, the very preservation of the name reinforces God’s concern for every family line, reminds believers of the comprehensive scope of divine providence, and challenges the church to cherish and proclaim the account of redemption to all peoples, from the famous to the seemingly marginal.

Forms and Transliterations
דִּישׁ֑וֹן דִּשֹׁ֑ן דִּשֹׁ֛ן דִישׁ֔וֹן דִישׁ֖וֹן דישון דשן וְדִישֹׁ֥ן וְדִשׁ֥וֹן ודישן ודשון dî·šō·wn ḏî·šō·wn di·šōn diShon dišōn dîšōwn ḏîšōwn vediShon wə·ḏi·šō·wn wə·ḏî·šōn wəḏîšōn wəḏišōwn
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 36:21
HEB: וְדִשׁ֥וֹן וְאֵ֖צֶר וְדִישָׁ֑ן
NAS: and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan.
KJV: And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan:
INT: and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan

Genesis 36:25
HEB: בְנֵֽי־ עֲנָ֖ה דִּשֹׁ֑ן וְאָהֳלִיבָמָ֖ה בַּת־
NAS: of Anah: Dishon, and Oholibamah,
KJV: of Anah [were] these; Dishon, and Aholibamah
INT: are the children of Anah Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter

Genesis 36:30
HEB: אַלּ֥וּף דִּשֹׁ֛ן אַלּ֥וּף אֵ֖צֶר
NAS: chief Dishon, chief Ezer,
KJV: Duke Dishon, duke Ezer,
INT: chief Dishon chief Ezer

1 Chronicles 1:38
HEB: וְצִבְע֣וֹן וַֽעֲנָ֑ה וְדִישֹׁ֥ן וְאֵ֖צֶר וְדִישָֽׁן׃
NAS: Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.
KJV: and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer,
INT: Zibeon Anah Dishon Ezer and Dishan

1 Chronicles 1:41
HEB: בְּנֵ֥י עֲנָ֖ה דִּישׁ֑וֹן ס וּבְנֵ֣י
NAS: of Anah [was] Dishon. And the sons
KJV: of Anah; Dishon. And the sons
INT: the son of Anah Dishon and the sons of Dishon

1 Chronicles 1:41
HEB: ס וּבְנֵ֣י דִישׁ֔וֹן חַמְרָ֥ן וְאֶשְׁבָּ֖ן
NAS: And the sons of Dishon [were] Hamran,
KJV: And the sons of Dishon; Amram,
INT: Dishon and the sons of Dishon Hamran Eshban

1 Chronicles 1:42
HEB: יַעֲקָ֑ן בְּנֵ֥י דִישׁ֖וֹן ע֥וּץ וַאֲרָֽן׃
INT: and Jaakan the sons Dishon Uz and Aran

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1787
7 Occurrences


di·šōn — 5 Occ.
wə·ḏi·šō·wn — 2 Occ.

1786
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