Bible Dictionaries
Oreb and Zeeb

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

OREB AND ZEEB. Two princes of Midian in the invasion of Israel, mentioned as inferior to the kings Zebah and Zalmunna ( Judges 7:25; Judges 8:3 , Psalms 83:11; cf. also Isaiah 10:26 ). The meaning of the names is ‘raven’ and ‘wolf.’ Associated with the invasion put down by Gideon, these two princes were killed by the men of Ephraim, who rose at Gideon’s suggestion and intercepted the princes and their followers at the river Jordan. That their death, so briefly narrated in Judges, was accompanied by great slaughter may be inferred from the incidental references by the writers of Psalms 83:1-18 and Isaiah 10 . Isaiah compares the destruction to that of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, while the Psalmist compares the flying Midianites to the whirling dust or chaff driven before the wind. The rock Oreb and the wine-press Zeeb took their names from this incident.

T. A. Moxon.

Bibliography Information
Hastings, James. Entry for 'Oreb and Zeeb'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hdb/​o/oreb-and-zeeb.html. 1909.