 The Qedarites were an " Arab tribal confederation , " or " alliance of nomadic Arab tribes . " According to Philip J. King , theologian and historian , they lived in the northwest Arabian desert and were " an influential force from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE . " Geoffrey <unk> , historical <unk> and translator , transcribes their name as Kedar and states they lived in an area southeast of Damascus and east of the Transjordan . 
