Bible Dictionary
Wilderness
A wilderness is an uncultivated or sparsely settled region used chiefly for grazing, ranging from dry waste to pastureland. Biblical wildernesses include areas around Sinai, Judah, Beersheba, Shur, Paran, and Moab.
Definition
A wilderness is an uncultivated or sparsely settled region, sometimes barren and sometimes suitable for grazing sheep and cattle. Biblical wildernesses include areas around Beersheba, Shur, Sinai, Paran, Judah, Moab, and the Dead Sea.
Biblical Usage
Wilderness may describe a place of pasture, desolation, dryness, or Israel’s journeys. It can also be used symbolically, as in the wilderness of the sea, described as spiritually barren and restless like the sea.
Historical Background
The wilderness of Israel’s wandering lay in the Sinaitic peninsula, a triangular region with no single river throughout its broad extent. Its northern, western, and eastern portions were associated with et-Tih, Shur, and Paran.
Scripture References
Psalms 65:12
Isaiah 42:11
Jeremiah 23:10
Joel 1:19
Joel 2:22
Genesis 21:14
Exodus 13:18
Leviticus 7:38
Deuteronomy 2:8
Judges 1:16
1 Samuel 23:14
1 Samuel 23:24
2 Chronicles 20:16
2 Chronicles 20:20
Psalms 29:8
Isaiah 21:1
Ezekiel 20:35
Isaiah 22:1
Deuteronomy 32:10
Psalms 68:7
Deuteronomy 1:1
Psalms 78:17
Psalms 105:41
Job 12:24
Genesis 1:2
Exodus 15:22
Matthew 3:1
1 Samuel 23:19
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(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; Joel 1:19; 2:22); an uncultivated place. This word is used of the wilderness of Beersheba (Gen. 21:14), on the southern border of Palestine; the wilderness of the Red Sea (Ex. 13:18); of Shur (15:22), a portion of the Sinaitic peninsula; of Sin (17:1), Sinai (Lev. 7:38), Moab (Deut. 2:8), Judah (Judg. 1:16), Ziph, Maon, En-gedi (1 Sam. 23:14, 24; 24:1), Jeruel and Tekoa (2 Chr. 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. 9), perhaps because it became the place of discipline to God’s people, as the wilderness of the Red Sea had been (comp. Ezek. 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. 57:20).” A Short Analysis of the O.T. (2.) Jeshimon, a desert waste (Deut. 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 Deut. 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” (Deut. 32:10; Job 12:24; comp. Gen. 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” (Matt. 3:1) is a wild, barren region, lying between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. It is the “Jeshimon” mentioned in 1 Sam. 23:19.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>wil'-der-nes.</p><p>See DESERT; JUDAEA, WILDERNESS OF; WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.</p>