What is a nomad?

Answer

A nomad is a member of a people or tribe who do not have a fixed dwelling place but who wander from place to place within a given territory, carrying all their belongings, including their homes, with them. Nomadic peoples typically move seasonally, following the food supply or tending to the grazing needs of their herds. As a result, they are often hunters and gatherers rather than farmers who till fields, vineyards, and orchards.

Shortly after Adam and Eve, humans settled in cities. In Genesis 4:17, Cain started constructing a city for his clan. Soon after the flood, Noah settled down and planted a vineyard, indicating that he was not a nomad “And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:”, (Genesis 9:20). In Genesis 11, the people of the earth erected a tower and a city.

Abraham is the first individual in Scripture who appears to be specifically known for living a nomadic lifestyle. He journeyed from place to place in a land that was not his own, dwelling in tents. Although God had promised to give the land to his descendants, Abraham was still a visitor without any property at that time. Eventually, Abraham had to purchase a piece of land for his wife’s burial site “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”, (Genesis 23:4).

When the Israelites departed from Egypt, they roamed in the wilderness for 40 years, living as nomads. Even the tabernacle was portable so that it could be relocated. However, once Canaan was eventually conquered, the people promptly settled in cities, and those who did not reside in cities still possessed land with distinct boundaries.

Certain groups of people in the Bible hadNomadic tendencies are evident in various biblical references, such as the Midianites «I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: And the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. », (Habakkuk 3:7), and the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35:8-10). While harsh environments like deserts may necessitate a nomadic lifestyle (and many nomads still reside in Middle Eastern deserts), most individuals tend to prefer settling down in permanent houses.

Although Christians are not explicitly labeled as nomads in Scripture, we are cautioned that this world is not our true home— we are foreigners and strangers on this earth «These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. », (Hebrews 11:13), with our genuine citizenship in the kingdom of God. Nomads avoid settling down or investing in “permanent” structures, understanding that they will soon move on. Many challenges faced by Christians stem from forgetting where our true citizenship lies and becoming too attached to the comforts of this world. We should emulate the patriarchs, who lived “like a stranger in a foreign country,” while eagerly “looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).