The territory of Joktan's descendants stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the hill country of the east. The geographical description closes the section on Joktan's line with a territorial summary. 'The hill country of the east' evokes the vast Arabian and Yemeni highlands — a region of frankincense trees, ancient trade routes, and the civilizations that made the ancient world's economy function. The territory is significant not only as geography but as the region from which some of the most dramatic expressions of seeking after God will come in later Scripture — Job from Uz (traced to Shem through Aram), the Queen of Sheba, the Magi. The eastern hills of Joktan's descendants become a recurring origin point for figures who seek wisdom from the God of Israel. Today, consider that the people most unlike you geographically and culturally may be the ones most earnestly seeking what you have been given.

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