Wikipedia's first sentence called it “people whose name has been interpreted as "smiths" by some and by others related to the word "nest"”. Today it says “tribe in the ancient levant”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
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.1Other well-known Kenites were Heber , the husband of Jael , and Rechab , the ancestor of the Rechabites .2The 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.3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16485057.
The opening as it stood in 2010 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Kenites or Cinites ( Biblical Hebrew qi.'nim קינים), according to the Hebrew Bible , were a nomadic clan in the ancient Levant , sent under Jethro a priest in the land of Midian .They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel .The Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers.Moses ' father-in-law, Jethro , was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian.Judges 1:16 identifies that Moses had a father-in-law who was a Kenite, but it is not clear from the passage if this refers to the same Jethro who was the priest of Midian.Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law. though the Kenites descended from Rechab , maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time.Moses apparently identified Jethro's concept of God, El Shaddai , with Yahweh, the Israelites' God.According to the Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh was originally the tribal god of Jethro, borrowed and adapted by the Hebrews .Harris, Stephen L. , Understanding the Bible.Catholic Encyclopedia "Some scholars, on the strength of Ex., xviii, go even so far as to assert that it was from Jethro that the Israelites received a great portion of their monotheistic theology." Catholic Encyclopedia
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367621373.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
According to the Hebrew Bible , the Kenites ( / ˈ k iː n aɪ t / ; Name 1 , ) were a nomadic clan in the ancient Levant .One of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro , a priest in the land of Midian . They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel . The Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers. Moses ' father-in-law, Jethro , was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian . Judges 1:16 says that Moses had a father-in-law who was a Kenite, but it is not clear from the passage if this refers to Jethro. Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law, although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time. Kenite is a rendition of Hebrew קֵינִי Qeyniy .According to Gesenius , the name is derived from the name Cain (קַיִן Qayin ).Sayce , the name ‘Kenite’ or Qéní , is identical to an Aramaic word meaning a smith , which in its turn is a cognate of Hebrew Qayin , with the meaning ‘a lance’.According to the Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh was historically a Midian deity, and the association of Moses' father-in-law with Midian reflects the historical adoption of the Midianite cult by the Hebrews . Moses apparently identified Jethro's concept of God, El Shaddai , with Yahweh, the Israelites' God.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 659177188.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant According to the Hebrew Bible , the Kenites ( / ˈ k iː n aɪ t / ; Name 1 Qînîm , ) were a nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant . The Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers. They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel . One of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro , Moses ' father-in-law, who was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian . Judges 1:16 says that Moses had a father-in-law who was a Kenite, but it is not clear from the passage if this refers to Jethro. Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law, although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time. Kenite is a rendition of Hebrew קֵינִי Qeyniy . According to Gesenius , the name is derived from the name Cain (קַיִן Qayin ). Sayce , the name ‘Kenite’ or Qéní , is identical to an Aramaic word meaning a smith , which in its turn is a cognate of Hebrew Qayin , with the meaning ‘a lance’. According to the Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh was historically a Midian deity, and the association of Moses' father-in-law with Midian reflects the historical adoption of the Midianite cult by the Hebrews . Moses apparently identified Jethro's concept of God, Yahweh, with the Israelites' God El Shaddai .Harris, Stephen L. , Understanding the Bible.New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 27 December 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964383790.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant Tel Arad fortress above the town of Arad , the central hub of the Negev of the Kenites.According to the Hebrew Bible , the Kenites/Qenites ( / ˈ k iː n aɪ t / or / ˈ k ɛ n aɪ t / ; Qēinī ) were a tribe in the ancient Levant .They settled in the towns and cities in the northeastern Negev in an area known as the "Negev of the Kenites" near Arad , and played an important role in the history of ancient Israel . One of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro , Moses ' father-in-law, who was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian Judges 1:16 Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law, although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time. Other well-known Kenites were: Heber, husband of Jael , the Biblical heroine who killed General Sisera ; and Rechab , the ancestor of the Rechabites . New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 27 December 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176741503.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant Tel Arad fortress above the town of Arad , the central hub of the Negev of the Kenites. According to the Hebrew Bible , the Kenites/Qenites ( / ˈ k iː n aɪ t / or / ˈ k ɛ n aɪ t / ; Hebrew : קֵינִי , romanized : Qēni ) were a tribe in the ancient Levant . They settled in the towns and cities in the northeastern Negev in an area known as the "Negev of the Kenites" near Arad , and played an important role in the history of ancient Israel . One of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro , Moses's father-in-law, who was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian ( Judges 1:16 ). Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses's brother-in-law, although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time. Other well-known Kenites were Heber, husband of Jael , the Biblical heroine who killed General Sisera and Rechab , the ancestor of the Rechabites . New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 27 December 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294716244. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “people whose name has been interpreted as "smiths" by some and by others related to the word "nest"”. Today it says “tribe in the ancient levant”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
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2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
people whose name has been interpreted as "smiths" by some and by others related to the word "nest"
Now
tribe in the ancient levant
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
