Reference: Wilderness
American
See DESERT.
Easton
(1.) Heb midhbar, denoting not a barren desert but a district or region suitable for pasturing sheep and cattle (Ps 65:12; Isa 42:11; Jer 23:10; Joe 1:19; 2:22); an uncultivated place. This word is used of the wilderness of Beersheba (Ge 21:14), on the southern border of Palestine; the wilderness of the Red Sea (Ex 13:18); of Shur (Ex 15:22), a portion of the Sinaitic peninsula; of Sin (Ex 17:1), Sinai (Le 7:38), Moab (De 2:8), Judah (Jg 1:16), Ziph, Maon, En-gedi (1Sa 23:14,24; 24:1), Jeruel and Tekoa (2Ch 20:16,20), Kadesh (Ps 29:8).
The wilderness of the sea (Isa 21:1). Principal Douglas, referring to this expression, says: "A mysterious name, which must be meant to describe Babylon (see especially ver. Isa 21:9), perhaps because it became the place of discipline to God's people, as the wilderness of the Red Sea had been (comp. Eze 20:35). Otherwise it is in contrast with the symbolic title in Isa 22:1. Jerusalem is the "valley of vision," rich in spiritual husbandry; whereas Babylon, the rival centre of influence, is spiritually barren and as restless as the sea (comp. Isa 57:20)." A Short Analysis of the O.T.
(2.) Jeshimon, a desert waste (De 32:10; Ps 68:7).
(3.) 'Arabah, the name given to the valley from the Dead Sea to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. In De 1:1; 2:8, it is rendered "plain" (R.V., "Arabah").
(4.) Tziyyah, a "dry place" (Ps 78:17; 105:41).
(5.) Tohu, a "desolate" place, a place "waste" or "unoccupied" (De 32:10; Job 12:24; comp. Ge 1:2, "without form"). The wilderness region in the Sinaitic peninsula through which for forty years the Hebrews wandered is generally styled "the wilderness of the wanderings." This entire region is in the form of a triangle, having its base toward the north and its apex toward the south. Its extent from north to south is about 250 miles, and at its widest point it is about 150 miles broad. Throughout this vast region of some 1,500 square miles there is not a single river. The northern part of this triangular peninsula is properly the "wilderness of the wanderings" (et-Tih). The western portion of it is called the "wilderness of Shur" (Ex 15:22), and the eastern the "wilderness of Paran."
The "wilderness of Judea" (Mt 3:1) is a wild, barren region, lying between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. It is the "Jeshimon" mentioned in 1Sa 23:19.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the earth was desolation and emptiness, and darkness over the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.
And Abraham will rise early in the morning, and take food, and a leathern bottle of water, and give to Hagar (putting upon her shoulder), and the child, and will send her away: and she will go forth and wander in the desert to the well of the oath.
And God will turn the people about the way of the desert, the sea of sedge: and the sons of Israel went up active out of the land of Egypt
And Moses will remove Israel from the sea of sedge, and they will come forth to the desert of Shur; and they will go three days into the desert, and they found not water.
And Moses will remove Israel from the sea of sedge, and they will come forth to the desert of Shur; and they will go three days into the desert, and they found not water.
And all the assembly of the sons of Israel will remove from the desert of Sin, according to their removings by the mouth of Jehovah; and they will encamp in Rephidim; and no water for the people to drink.
Which Jehovah commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day of his commanding the sons of Israel to bring near their offerings to Jehovah, in the desert of Sinai.
These the words which Moses spake to all Israel on the other side Jordan in the desert, in the sterile region over against the sedge between Paran and between Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab.
And we shall pass by our brethren the sons of Esau, dwelling in Seir, from the way of the sterile region from Elath, and from Ezion-Gaber, we shall turn and shall pass over the way of the desert of Moab.
And we shall pass by our brethren the sons of Esau, dwelling in Seir, from the way of the sterile region from Elath, and from Ezion-Gaber, we shall turn and shall pass over the way of the desert of Moab.
He will find him in the land of the desert, In a waste howling desolation: He will encompass him about; he will teach him, He will keep him as the pupil of the eye.
He will find him in the land of the desert, In a waste howling desolation: He will encompass him about; he will teach him, He will keep him as the pupil of the eye.
And the sons of the Kenite, father-in-law of Moses, went up from the city of palm-trees with the sons of Judah to the desert of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and he went up and dwelt with the people:
And David will dwell in the desert in fastnesses, and he will dwell in the mountain in the desert of Ziph. And Saul will seek him all the days, and God save him not into his hand.
And the Ziphites will go up to Saul to the hill, saying, Is not David hiding with us in the fastnesses in the thicket, in the hill of Hachilah, which is from the right of the desert?
And they will rise and go to Ziph before Saul: and David and his men in the desert of Maon, in the sterile region to the right of Jeshimon.
And it will be when Saul turned back from after the rovers, and they will announce to him, saying, Behold, David in the desert of Engedi.
To-morrow go ye down against them: behold them coming up in the ascent of brightness; and ye found them in the end of the valley before the desert of Jeruel.
And they will rise early in the morning and go forth to the desert of Tekoa: and in their going forth Jehoshaphat stood, and he will say, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabiting Jerusalem; Believe in Jehovah your God and ye shall be firm; believe in his prophets and prosper.
Taking away the heart of the heads of the people of the earth, and he will cause them to wander in a waste, not a way.
The voice of Jehovah will cause the desert to whirl; Jehovah will cause the desert of holiness to whirl.
The pastures of the desert shall drop, and the hills shall be girded with joy.
O God, in thy going forth before thy people, in thy stepping in the desert. Silence.
And they will yet add to sin against him to embitter the Most High in a dry land.
He opened the rock and the waters will flow; they went in dry places a river.
The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south for passing through, from the desert it came, from a fearful land.
And behold, here came a chariot, a man, a pair of horsemen. And he will answer and say, She fell, Babel fell; and the carved images of her god he brake in pieces to the earth.
The burden of the valley of vision. What to thee now, that thou wentest up all of thee, to the roofs?
The desert and its cities shall lift up, the enclosures shall Kedar inhabit: they inhabiting the rock shall shout for joy, from the head of the mountains they shall shout for joy.
And the unjust as the tossed sea when it shall not be able to rest, and its waters will toss up mud and mire;
For the land was filled from adulteries, for from the face of these the land mourned, the beautiful things of the desert were dried up, and their race will be evil, and their strength not right
And I brought you into the desert of the peoples, and I judged you there face to face.
To thee, O Jehovah, will I call: for a fire consumed the habitations of the desert, and the flame burned all the trees of the field.
Ye shall not fear, ye beasts of the field, for the pastures of the desert sprang forth, for the tree bore its fruit, the fig tree and the vine gave their strength.
In these days John the Baptist is present, proclaiming in the desert of Judea;
Morish
This term and that of DESERT do not usually refer in scripture to such places as the vast sand-plains of Africa, though there are some such in Palestine, but the words mostly refer to non-arable plains where the vegetation but thinly covers the limestone with patches of verdure. In places where the ground is not worth cultivating it can be used for pasture. Some of such deserts are comparatively small, but others are extensive. The wilderness of JUDAH is a plain extending the whole length of the Dead Sea; but some of it can be used for pasture land. It may be said to include the wilderness of EN-GEDI, that of MAON, and probably that of ZIPH and of JERUEL.
The wilderness of BETH-AVEN and of GIBEON were in the allotment of Benjamin.
The wilderness of DAMASCUS was far north, and that of BEER-SHEBA far south; and that of SHUR, still farther south-west.
Those of KEDEMOTH, of EDOM, and of MOAB were east of the Dead Sea.
The rest were not in Palestine proper, but were the deserts through which the Israelites passed or were located in their wanderings: namely, ETHAM, KADESH, PARAN, SIN, SINAI, and ZIN. See WANDERINGS OF THE ISRAELITES.
Typically the wilderness was outside Canaan, and stands in contrast to it. The wilderness was the place of testing to the Israelites, and it is the same to the Christian, to humble him, and to prove what is in his heart. De 8:2. He has to learn what he is in himself, and the God of all grace he has to do with. There is need of constant dependence or there is failure, while the experience is gained of knowing One who never fails to succour. Canaan is figuratively a heavenly position and conflict, corresponding with the need of the armour of Eph 6:11, to stand against the wiles of the devil. For this one needs to realise what it is to be dead and risen with Christ. It is association in spirit with Christ in heaven.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And remember thou all the way which Jehovah thy God caused thee to go this forty years in the desert in order to humble thee, to try thee, to know what is in thy heart, whether thou shalt watch his commands or not
Put on the complete armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the artifices of the accuser.