Difference between revisions of "Wilderness"

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== Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_44577" /> ==
<i> wilderness </i> <i> desert </i> &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:28&nbsp; Jeremiah 2:6&nbsp; Psalm 107:4-9 <p> Geographically, the wilderness lay south, east, and southwest of the inhabited land of [[Israel]] in the Negeb, Transjordan, and the Sinai. A particular wilderness, closer to home, lay on the eastern slopes of the [[Judean]] mountains in the rain shadow leading down to the [[Dead]] Sea. This particular wilderness, sometimes called Jeshimon, became a refuge for David when he fled from Saul, and was the locale of the temptation of Jesus. </p> <p> Historically, the wilderness was particularly connected with the wandering of the escaping Hebrews after their miraculous escape from Egypt and just prior to the conquest of Transjordan. This was remembered in their retelling of the story as “that great and terrible wilderness” (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 1:19; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 8:15 ). There was good news and bad news about this period of the nation's existence. The good news was that God had provided manna, quail, and water from the rock. He had led them in the wilderness, and revealed Himself and His covenant laws to them at Sinai/Horeb, the mountain of revelation. The bad news was they had rebelled against the Lord and murmured against Moses again and again in the wilderness. The Book of Numbers is called in the [[Hebrew]] Bible, <i> bemidbar </i> , “In the desert.” It tells the tragic story of Kadesh-barnea in the wilderness of Paran and the spy committee who persuaded the people not to attack the [[Promised]] Land from the south, so that a whole generation died in the desert (&nbsp;Numbers 13-14 ). In the Psalms, the worshiping [[Israelites]] confessed these ancient sins (&nbsp;Psalm 78:40; &nbsp;Psalm 106:26 ), and New [[Testament]] preachers used them as a warning to “wilderness Christians” not to make the same mistakes (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 10:1-13; &nbsp;Hebrews 3:16-19 ). There were several specific wilderness areas mentioned, such as those of Sin, Shur, Sinai, Paran, and [[Zin]] on the way of wilderness wanderings. Some specific locales were connected with David's outlaw years, such as wilderness of En-Gedi, of Judah, of Maon, of Ziph. Jeremiah once yearned for a desert lodge as a place of escape from his rebellious audience (&nbsp;Hebrews 9:2 ). People in biblical times mostly feared the desert as a place inhabited by beasts of prey, snakes, and scorpions (even demons) to which one might drive out the scapegoat (&nbsp;Leviticus 16:10 ,Leviticus 16:10,&nbsp;16:22 ,Leviticus 16:22,&nbsp;16:26; &nbsp;Isaiah 13:21-22; &nbsp;Isaiah 34:13-14 ). So it was appropriate as a place for Jesus' temptation (&nbsp;Matthew 4:1-11; &nbsp;Mark 1:12-13; &nbsp;Luke 4:1-13 ). </p> <p> The prophets felt that most of Israel's religious troubles began with the settlement of [[Canaan]] and apostasy to [[Canaanite]] idolatry, but they also looked forward to a renewed pilgrimage in the wilderness (&nbsp;Hosea 2:14-15; &nbsp;Hosea 9:10 , compare &nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:10; &nbsp;Jeremiah 2:2-3; &nbsp;Jeremiah 31:2-3 ). There would be a new Exodus after the [[Babylonian]] [[Exile]] through the north [[Syrian]] desert to make the Lord their king and “prepare his way” (&nbsp;Ezekiel 20:30-38; &nbsp;Isaiah 40:3-5 ). John the [[Baptist]] appeared in the wilderness of [[Judea]] as the promised prophetic forerunner (&nbsp;Matthew 3:1-3; &nbsp;Mark 1:2-4; &nbsp;Luke 3:2-6; &nbsp;John 1:23 ). Not only did Jesus overcome the tempter in the wilderness, but He fed the four thousand in a desolate place east of Lake [[Galilee]] (&nbsp;Mark 8:1-9 ). See [[Desert]]; [[Paran]]; [[Wilderness Of Shur]]; [[Wilderness Of Sin]]; Sinai; Wanderings. </p> <p> M. [[Pierce]] Matheny </p>
       
== Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words <ref name="term_79851" /> ==
<div> '''1: ἐρημία ''' (Strong'S #2047 — Noun [[Feminine]] — eremia — er-ay-mee'-ah ) </div> <p> "an uninhabited place," is translated "wilderness" in the AV of &nbsp;Matthew 15:33; &nbsp;Mark 8:4 (RV, "a desert place"); RV and AV, "wilderness" in &nbsp; 2 Corinthians 11:26 . See Desert , A. (In the Sept., &nbsp;Isaiah 60:20; &nbsp;Ezekiel 35:4,9 . </p> <div> '''2: ἔρημος ''' (Strong'S #2048 — — eremos — er'-ay-mos ) </div> <p> an adjective signifying "desolate, deserted, lonely," is used as a noun, and rendered "wilderness" 32 times in the AV; in &nbsp;Matthew 24:26; &nbsp;John 6:31 , RV, "wilderness" (AV, "desert"). For the RV, "deserts" in &nbsp;Luke 5:16; &nbsp;8:29 see Desert , B. </p>
       
== Morrish Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_69276" /> ==
<p> This term and that of DESERTdo 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 JUDAHis 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. </p> <p> The wilderness of [[Beth-Aven]] and of [[Gibeon]] were in the allotment of Benjamin. </p> <p> The wilderness of [[Damascus]] was far north, and that of [[Beer-Sheba]] far south; and that of SHUR, still farther south-west. </p> <p> Those of KEDEMOTH, of EDOM, and of MOAB were east of the Dead Sea. </p> <p> 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. </p> <p> 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. &nbsp;Deuteronomy 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 &nbsp;Ephesians 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. </p>
       
== Easton's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_33970" /> ==
<li> Tohu, a "desolate" place, a place "waste" or "unoccupied" (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:10; &nbsp;Job 12:24; Compare &nbsp;Genesis 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" (&nbsp;Exodus 15:22 ), and the eastern the "wilderness of Paran." <p> The "wilderness of Judea" (&nbsp;Matthew 3:1 ) is a wild, barren region, lying between the Dead Sea and the [[Hebron]] Mountains. It is the "Jeshimon" mentioned in &nbsp;1 Samuel 23:19 . </p> <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Wilderness'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/w/wilderness.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>
       
== Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types <ref name="term_198535" /> ==
<p> &nbsp;Psalm 102:6 (a) This type represents the lonely, desolate condition of the blessed Lord as He walked about among sinful men and wicked enemies on the earth. (See under PELICAN). </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 21:19 (a) It is better for one to go without many comforts, and to deny himself many pleasures if thereby he can live as he pleases. This is to be preferred to living the life with one who is constantly a source of sorrow and trouble to the heart. </p> <p> &nbsp;Isaiah 32:15 (b) This is a wonderful type of the barren [[Christian]] life, which is filled with sorrow, difficulty, disappointment and grief, but which, by the ministry of the Spirit, becomes a life filled with fruitfulness, beauty and joy. </p> <p> &nbsp;Isaiah 43:19 (b) This word describes the deliverance which GOD is able to bring into the tangled affairs of human life, straightens out the difficulties, delivers from perplexities, and brings His child safely through to a life of peace. </p> <p> &nbsp;Revelation 12:6 (b) Probably this refers to the condition of Israel as scattered throughout the world, where they have weary feet, longing eyes, and heavy hearts. GOD will bring them out of this condition, and out of these nations, to inhabit again their own land. </p> <p> &nbsp;Revelation 17:3 (b) This wilderness no doubt represents the various nations of the world in which the great apostate and religious system operates. This church produces nothing but tragedy and sin in the lives of the people who become members of their group. It really is a wilderness in every sense of the word. </p>
       
== People's Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_70933" /> ==
<p> '''Wilderness, The,''' in which the Israelites spent 40 years, between Egypt and Canaan, is called sometimes the "great and terrible wilderness" by way of eminence. &nbsp;Deuteronomy 1:1; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 8:2; &nbsp;Joshua 5:6; &nbsp;Nehemiah 9:19; &nbsp;Nehemiah 9:21; &nbsp;Psalms 78:40; &nbsp;Psalms 78:52; &nbsp;Psalms 107:4; &nbsp;Jeremiah 2:2. In general it may be identified with the peninsula of Sinai, the triangular region between the [[Gulf]] of Akabah, on the east, and the Gulf of [[Suez]] and Egypt on the west. See Sinai. In this region there are several smaller wildernesses, as Etham, Paran, Shur, Zin. What is known distinctively as the "wilderness of the Wandering" is the great central limestone plateau between the granite region of [[Sinai]] on the south, the sandy desert on the north, and the valley of the [[Arabah]] on the east. The explorations of travellers and the British Ordnance Survey have made this region quite well known. The route of the Israelites from Egypt to [[Kadesh]] can be traced with reasonable accuracy. Instead of entering the Promised Land immediately from Kadesh, they were driven back into the wilderness for their disobedience, and there wandered for 40 years. They probably lived a nomad life as do the Bedouin Arabs of the present day. </p>
       
== King James Dictionary <ref name="term_64261" /> ==
<p> WILDERNESS, n. from wild. </p> 1. A desert a tract of land or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide barren plain. In the United States, it is applied only to a forest. In Scripture, it is applied frequently to the deserts of Arabia. The Israelites wandered int he wilderness forty years. 2. The ocean. <p> The watry wilderness yields no supply. </p> 3. A state of disorder. Not in use. 4. A wood in a garden, resembling a forest.
       
== Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_195501" /> ==
<p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' v. t.) A tract of land, or a region, uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide, barren plain; a wild; a waste; a desert; a pathless waste of any kind. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' v. t.) Quality or state of being wild; wildness. </p> <p> '''(3):''' ''' (''' v. t.) A disorderly or neglected place. </p>
       
== Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_57831" /> ==
<p> See Desert. </p>
       
== American Tract Society Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_17501" /> ==
<p> See Desert . </p>
       
== Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_66139" /> ==
<p> is in the A.V. the most frequent rendering of מַדְבָּר ''(Midbar, Ἡ Ἔρημος),'' which primarily denotes a region not regularly tilled or inhabited (&nbsp;Job 38:26; &nbsp;Isaiah 32:15; &nbsp;Jeremiah 2:2), but used for pasturage (from </p> <p> דָּבִר, ''To Track,'' referring to the cattle-paths) (&nbsp;Jeremiah 9:9; &nbsp;Psalms 65:13; &nbsp;Joel 2:22; &nbsp;Luke 15:4); mostly treeless and dry, but not entirely destitute of vegetation or fertility, such as are of frequent occurrence in the East (Robinson 2:656; occasionally cultivated in spots, Josephus, Ant. 12:4, 6). [[Towers]] were sometimes erected in them for the protection of flocks (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 26:10; &nbsp;2 Kings 17:9; comp. &nbsp;Isaiah 1:8). The term is likewise in some instances applied to particular barren tracts of hard arid steppes (&nbsp;Isaiah 35:6; &nbsp;Isaiah 41:18; &nbsp;Isaiah 43:20; &nbsp;Lamentations 4:3; &nbsp;Malachi 1:3) overrun with wild animals (see Rosenmiller, ''Morgenl.'' 1:88 sq.); although for such spots the words מַדְבִּר שְׁמָמָה (&nbsp;Joel 2:3; Joel 4:19), יְשׁימוֹן, עֲרָבָה (see Credner, in the ''Stud. U. Krit.'' 1833, 3:788 sq.), etc., are usually employed. For a remarkable phenomenon of these dry wastes, (See [[Mirage]]). Although this kind of region is not particularly characteristic of Palestine, yet the term ''Midbar'' is applied to the following localities in it or its immediate vicinity (See Desert). </p> <p> '''1.''' ''The [[Wilderness]] Of Judah'' also called [[Jeshimon]] (&nbsp;1 Samuel 23:19; &nbsp;1 Samuel 26:1; &nbsp;1 Samuel 26:3), is a rocky district in the eastern part of that tribe adjoining the Dead Sea and including the town of [[Engedi]] (&nbsp;Joshua 15:61; &nbsp;Judges 1:16). It appears to have extended from the vicinity of the Kedron, a few miles east of Jerusalem, to the S.W. shore of the Dead Sea and to the hills of Judah. The convent of [[Mar]] Saba (q.v.) is a marked feature of one of its wild and barren dells. (See Wilderness Of Judah). On the N.W. border of the wilderness of Judah lay ''The Wilderness Of Tekoa'' (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 20:20; &nbsp;1 [[Maccabees]] 9:33); as in its E. part appears to have lain the Wilderness of Engedi (&nbsp;1 Samuel 24:2), and in its S. part ''The Wilderness Of Ziph'' (23:14 sq.) or [[Maon]] (q.v.), otherwise called [[Jeruel]] (2 Chronicles 20:46). The Wilderness of St. John (&nbsp;Matthew 3:1; &nbsp;Matthew 3:3; comp. 11:7; &nbsp;Luke 1:80) is a part of the desert of Judah; although modern tradition gives that name to the neighborhood of [[Ain]] Karim west of Jerusalem. (See [[John The Baptist]]). </p> <p> '''2.''' ''The Wilderness Of Beersheba'' (&nbsp;Genesis 21:14) lay south of that town on the borders of the desert Et-Tih. (See [[Beersheba]]). </p> <p> '''3.''' ''The Wilderness Of Jericho'' (&nbsp;Joshua 16:1), between that city and the Mount of Olives, or rather Bethany, was an extension of the desert of Judah, a rough and stony tract full of precipices (see Josephus, ''Ant.'' 10:8, 2), which contains the so-called khan of the [[Samaritans]] (&nbsp;Luke 10:30). Its '''N,''' E. extremity is ''The Wilderness Of Quarantana'' (q.v.), and its N.W. extremity ''The Wilderness Of Beth-Aven'' (&nbsp;Joshua 18:12). </p> <p> '''4.''' ''The Wilderness Of Gibeon,'' in the vicinity of that city, north of [[Jerusalem]] (&nbsp;2 Samuel 2:24). </p> <p> '''5.''' ''The Wilderness Of Reuben'' (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 4:43), denotes the barren tract in the neighborhood of Bezer, on the border of the tribe towards the [[Arabian]] desert. (See [[Reuben]]). </p> <p> '''6.''' ''The Wilderness Of Bethsaida'' (&nbsp;Luke 9:10), a pasture-ground adjoining that town, apparently extending on both sides of the mouth of the Upper Jordan. (See [[Bethsaida]]). For the ''Wilderness Of [[Arabia]] Petraea'' or of ''Mt. Sinai,'' including those of ''Etham, Paran, Shur,'' and the ''Arabah,'' (See [[Wilderness Of The Wanderings]]). </p>
       
== International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_9387" /> ==
<p> ''''' wil´dẽr ''''' - ''''' nes ''''' . See Desert; [[Judaea]] , Wilderness Of; [[Wanderings Of Israel]] . </p>
       
== The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_81424" /> ==
<p> A district covered with brushwood in Virginia, U.S., the scene of a two days' terrible conflict between the Federals and the Confederates on the 5th and 6th May 1864. </p>
       
== Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature <ref name="term_16940" /> ==
<p> [DESERTS] </p>
       
==References ==
<references>


Wilderness <ref name="term_57835" />
<ref name="term_44577"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
<p> <b> [[Wilderness.]] </b> —The word or words (more or less synonymous) which the Authorized and Revised [[Versions]] translation by ‘wilderness’ or ‘desert’ afford a striking example of the difficulties which translators, and after them the ordinary readers of [[Holy]] Scripture, have to contend with, because that word does not convey to our mind the idea of something we know: in our western European countries there is not, properly speaking, any desert or wilderness, in the Biblical sense of the word. Thus, unable to consult our own experience, we have to fall back upon books we have read, and upon notions obtained in that way. Immediately there rises in our memory the view of a desert of sand, stretching itself out of sight in a complete solitude, and giving to the caravans of travellers scarcely any other choice but death from thirst, or burial under the moving soil blown up by some terrible windstorm. Such is the classical representation of a desert or wilderness, and it is a constant source of errors for the understanding of numerous passages of the Bible where that word occurs. There is no ‘desert of sand’ either in [[Palestine]] or in the neighbouring countries. In fact, the [[Hebrew]] word which is usually translation ‘desert’ or ‘wilderness’ ( <i> midbâr </i> ) does not in the least convey the idea of solitude or desolation; on the contrary, it belongs to a root which means ‘to pasture,’ and therefore, etymologically,’ feeding-ground’ or ‘pasture-land’ would seem to be the most exact translation. But if we should adopt it, another ambiguity would be created, and a false notion suggested. Indeed, for a European reader, a pasture is a meadow with abundant grass, which is not at all true of the-Palestinian <i> midbâr </i> . </p> <p> For a correct understanding of the meaning of the word ‘wilderness’ in the Bible, one has to remember that there were—and are still—nomads in Bible lands. Those people are not addicted to agricultural life, but to the breeding of cattle; they live on the borders of cultivated lands, between these and other regions which are either uninhabitable or practically uninhabited. The territories held by those nomads—called Bedawîn in modern times—are not without water and grass; but these indispensable resources, required for the herds, are both scarce, and the tribes of shepherds, are compelled to remove their camps from one place to another for feeding and watering their cattle. The <i> midbâr </i> is therefore essentially the ground occupied by nomad tribes; it forms around agricultural districts a zone variable in extension or breadth; sometimes culture wins over uncultivated lands, sometimes these regain spaces formerly tilled and sown. At the boundary itself of those two tracts of land live some populations which hold a sort of intermediate position in the progress of civilization: they are half-sedentary, half-shepherds (half- <i> Fellahîn </i> , half- <i> Bedawîn </i> ), and, dwelling still under tents, they cultivate the ground, plough, sow, and reap (cf. Max von Oppenheim, <i> Vom Mittelmeer zum Persischen [[Golf]] </i> , 1900, ii. pp. 78–84). Even in the interior of cultivated districts, where villages and towns exist, there are frequently patches of land where the soil remains abandoned to itself, without culture, and they offer, therefore, the same character as the exterior zone inhabited by nomads. Those spaces are generally used as pasture-grounds for the cattle, and have also been called <i> midbâr </i> . They are found even near towns; thus the [[Ot]] mentions the wildernesses of Gibeon, of Tekoa, of Damascus, of [[Riblah]] (Massoretic Text <i> [[Diblah]] </i> , &nbsp;Ezekiel 6:14). Besides those local denominations, others occur which apply to peripheric regions: wildernesses of Shur, of Sin, of Sinai, of Paran, of Ẓin, of Kadesh, of [[Ethan]] (or Yam-Suph), of Maon, of Ziph, of Beersheba, of Engedi, of Jeruel, of Beth-aven, of Edom, of Moab, of Kedemoth. Several of these wildernesses, as their names show, cover vast spaces; others, on the contrary, represent quite limited places. </p> <p> One of the most important deserts is the <b> [[Wilderness]] of Judah </b> , twenty hours in length and five in breadth, which constitutes, with the [[Mountain]] ( <i> Har </i> ), the South ( <i> [[Negeb]] </i> ), and the Low-Country ( <i> [[Shephelah]] </i> ), the four parts of the territory of that tribe. The Wilderness of Judah is the region situated east of the watershed, between this high line and the western shore of the [[Dead]] Sea. The wildernesses of [[Ziph]] and of [[Maon]] are portions of it in the south, as well as those of [[Engedi]] and [[Tekoa]] in the middle; and finally also, in the north, the rough, barren, and uninhabited district where the road runs from [[Jerusalem]] to [[Jericho]] (cf. &nbsp;Luke 10:30 ff.) That wilderness is an uneven, undulating table-land, where conical hills and rocky hillocks arise, where deep ravines are cut between steep walls of rocks; it falls down towards the east—here in gradual declivities, there in sudden and abrupt slopes—in the direction of the Dead Sea, situated 1500 or 2000 feet below. No river or rivulet, no trees, no villages; a soil without vegetation, either sandy or stony, here and there with scarce and meagre grass, which is avidly sought for by small flocks of sheep and goats, belonging to a few miserable camps of black or brown tents. That wilderness was the refuge of David when persecuted by Saul (1 Samuel 22-26); he knew it from the time of his youth, having, when a boy, followed there the herds of his father (&nbsp;1 Samuel 16:11; &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:15; &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:34). Later on the same region sheltered [[Judas]] Maccabaeus and his companions (&nbsp;1 [[Maccabees]] 9:33). </p> <p> The wildernesses mentioned in the Bible are not all as inclement and inhospitable as the Wilderness of Judah. They are sometimes inhabited; they contain wells and cisterns, towns (&nbsp;Joshua 15:61 f., &nbsp;1 Kings 9:18, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 8:4) and houses (&nbsp;1 Kings 2:34), herds of sheep (&nbsp;1 Samuel 17:28), and pastures (&nbsp;Psalms 65:13 f). </p> <p> The [[Gospel]] of John alludes twice to the sojourn of [[Israel]] in the wilderness (&nbsp;John 3:14 Moses lifting the serpent, and &nbsp;John 6:31; &nbsp;John 6:40 the manna). The Synoptics do not mention it; but it is spoken of in the Book of Acts, specially in Stephen’s discourse (&nbsp;John 7:36-44) and in &nbsp;John 13:18, and in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 10:5 and &nbsp;Hebrews 3:8 (quoting &nbsp;Psalms 95:8) and &nbsp;John 3:17. </p> <p> The Wilderness of Judah is named several times in connexion with John the Baptist. His youth, according to &nbsp;Luke 1:80, was spent ‘in the deserts’; that is, certainly, with the keepers of herds, away from towns or villages, in solitude and contemplation. In that respect, as well as in others, John is like Amos, the shepherd of Tekoa. According to the Gospels, ‘the deserts’ included also the country near Jordan—beyond, that is, east of, the river—where John began his ministry, preaching and baptizing (&nbsp;Matthew 3:1, &nbsp;Mark 1:4, &nbsp;Luke 3:2; cf. &nbsp;Matthew 11:7, &nbsp;Luke 7:24; see artt. Bethabara, John the Baptist, Jordan), and the four [[Gospels]] apply to that event the prophecy of &nbsp;Isaiah 40:3 (&nbsp;Matthew 3:3, &nbsp;Mark 1:3, &nbsp;Luke 3:4, &nbsp;John 1:23). </p> <p> [[Ecclesiastical]] tradition has not been content with the indications given in the Gospels which connect John the Baptist’s life and work with the wilderness: it has connected also his birth with it. The place where [[Zacharias]] and [[Elisabeth]] dwelt being only vaguely named in &nbsp;Luke 1:39, it has been identified by the [[Christians]] of the Holy Land and the pilgrims, since the time of the Crusades, with a village situated about 4 miles west from Jerusalem; the Arabs call it ‘ <i> Ain-Karim </i> , hut it is known in the language of the Churches as ‘St. John in the Desert’ or ‘St. John in the Mountain.’ That place is not in the Wilderness of Judah; its neighbourhood is cultivated and fertile, at least in the sense in which one can use that word when speaking of Judaea. Even if we should suppose that such was the birthplace of John, it would be unjustified to consider it as being ‘in the wilderness’ (cf. <i> [[Zdpv]] </i> [Note: [[Dpv]] Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins.] xxii. pp. 81–93). </p> <p> It is also in the wilderness that the Gospel narratives place the scene of the [[Temptation]] of our Lord (&nbsp;Matthew 4:1, &nbsp;Mark 1:12, &nbsp;Luke 4:1). Since the time of the Crusades, ecclesiastical tradition has contrived to localize that event in a particular, well-defined spot, and has chosen for it the wild and desolate mountain which arises almost vertically above the [[Fountain]] of Elisha, west from the oasis of Jericho. [[A]] Greek convent, continuation of a very old laura, which was, if not founded, at least developed by Elpidins ( <i> [[Zdpv]] </i> [Note: [[Dpv]] Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins.] iii. p. 13), is suspended on the side of that mountain, which has received the name of Mount of the <b> [[Quarantania]] </b> ( <i> Jebel Karantul </i> ), on account of Jesus fasting 40 days. It is, of course, equally impossible to prove or to disprove that this, place is the one mentioned in the narratives of the Temptation. </p> <p> Galilee, and particularly the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret, was at the time of our Lord relatively well peopled: this is proved by the Gospels, and still more explicitly by the testimony of Josephus. There were, however, spaces of land without human habitations, and probably left to the shepherds and their cattle. According to the narratives of the Gospels, several scenes of the [[Galilaean]] ministry of Jesus, and some of His teachings, were connected with places of that sort, designated now as ‘a desert’ or ‘a wilderness’ (ἔρημος or ἐρημία), now as ‘a desert place’ (ἔρημος τόπος). We have to mention here ( <i> a </i> ) the multiplication of loaves (&nbsp;Matthew 14:13-21, &nbsp;Mark 6:30-44, &nbsp;Luke 9:10-17, &nbsp;Matthew 15:32-38, &nbsp;Mark 8:1-10); ( <i> b </i> ) Jesus withdrawing for prayer (&nbsp;Mark 1:35, &nbsp;Luke 5:16), or to avoid the crowd (&nbsp;Mark 1:45, &nbsp;Luke 4:42, &nbsp;John 11:54); ( <i> c </i> ) the demoniac of [[Gadara]] (&nbsp;Luke 8:29); ( <i> d </i> ) the parable of the Lost Sheep (&nbsp;Luke 15:3-7), where the 99 sheep remain ‘in the wilderness,’ whereas the shepherd goes after that which is lost until he finds it. </p> <p> Literature.— <i> PEFSt </i> [Note: EFSt Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1871, pp. 3–80; [[E.]] [[H.]] Palmer, <i> The Desert of the Exodus , 2 </i> vols., 1871; Furrer, art. ‘Wüste’ in Schenkel, <i> Bib. Lex </i> . v. pp. 680–685; [[G.]] [[A.]] Smith, <i> [[Hghl]] </i> [Note: [[Ghl]] [[Historical]] Geog. of Holy Land.] , pp. 312–317; Buhl, <i> [[Gap]] </i> [Note: [[Ap]] Geographic des alten Palästina.] , pp. 96–99; Lagrange in <i> [[Rb]] </i> [Note: Revue Biblique.] , 1896, pp. 618–643, 1897, pp. 107–130, 605–625, 1900, pp. 63–86; [[B.]] Baentsch, <i> Die Wüste, ihre Namen und ihre bildliche Anwendung in den Alttest. Schriften </i> , 1883; Pierre Loti, <i> Le Désert </i> 6, 1895 [descriptive], and other [more scientific] books of travels in the Sinai-Peninsula; Bönhoff,’ Die Wanderung Israels in der Wüste’ in <i> [[Sk]] </i> [Note: [[K]] Studien und Kritiken.] , 1907, pp. 159–217. </p> <p> Lucien Gautier. </p>
       
 
<ref name="term_79851"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/vine-s-expository-dictionary-of-nt-words/wilderness Wilderness from Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words]</ref>
== References ==
       
<references>
<ref name="term_69276"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/morrish-bible-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from Morrish Bible Dictionary]</ref>
<ref name="term_57835"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/wilderness+(2) Wilderness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_33970"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/easton-s-bible-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from Easton's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_198535"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/wilson-s-dictionary-of-bible-types/wilderness Wilderness from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_70933"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/people-s-dictionary-of-the-bible/wilderness Wilderness from People's Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_64261"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/king-james-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from King James Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_195501"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_57831"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/wilderness Wilderness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_17501"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/american-tract-society-bible-dictionary/wilderness Wilderness from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_66139"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/wilderness Wilderness from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_9387"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/wilderness Wilderness from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_81424"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/wilderness Wilderness from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_16940"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/kitto-s-popular-cyclopedia-of-biblial-literature/wilderness Wilderness from Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature]</ref>
       
</references>
</references>

Revision as of 10:02, 13 October 2021

Holman Bible Dictionary [1]

wilderness desert  1 Samuel 17:28  Jeremiah 2:6  Psalm 107:4-9

Geographically, the wilderness lay south, east, and southwest of the inhabited land of Israel in the Negeb, Transjordan, and the Sinai. A particular wilderness, closer to home, lay on the eastern slopes of the Judean mountains in the rain shadow leading down to the Dead Sea. This particular wilderness, sometimes called Jeshimon, became a refuge for David when he fled from Saul, and was the locale of the temptation of Jesus.

Historically, the wilderness was particularly connected with the wandering of the escaping Hebrews after their miraculous escape from Egypt and just prior to the conquest of Transjordan. This was remembered in their retelling of the story as “that great and terrible wilderness” ( Deuteronomy 1:19;  Deuteronomy 8:15 ). There was good news and bad news about this period of the nation's existence. The good news was that God had provided manna, quail, and water from the rock. He had led them in the wilderness, and revealed Himself and His covenant laws to them at Sinai/Horeb, the mountain of revelation. The bad news was they had rebelled against the Lord and murmured against Moses again and again in the wilderness. The Book of Numbers is called in the Hebrew Bible, bemidbar , “In the desert.” It tells the tragic story of Kadesh-barnea in the wilderness of Paran and the spy committee who persuaded the people not to attack the Promised Land from the south, so that a whole generation died in the desert ( Numbers 13-14 ). In the Psalms, the worshiping Israelites confessed these ancient sins ( Psalm 78:40;  Psalm 106:26 ), and New Testament preachers used them as a warning to “wilderness Christians” not to make the same mistakes ( 1 Corinthians 10:1-13;  Hebrews 3:16-19 ). There were several specific wilderness areas mentioned, such as those of Sin, Shur, Sinai, Paran, and Zin on the way of wilderness wanderings. Some specific locales were connected with David's outlaw years, such as wilderness of En-Gedi, of Judah, of Maon, of Ziph. Jeremiah once yearned for a desert lodge as a place of escape from his rebellious audience ( Hebrews 9:2 ). People in biblical times mostly feared the desert as a place inhabited by beasts of prey, snakes, and scorpions (even demons) to which one might drive out the scapegoat ( Leviticus 16:10 ,Leviticus 16:10, 16:22 ,Leviticus 16:22, 16:26;  Isaiah 13:21-22;  Isaiah 34:13-14 ). So it was appropriate as a place for Jesus' temptation ( Matthew 4:1-11;  Mark 1:12-13;  Luke 4:1-13 ).

The prophets felt that most of Israel's religious troubles began with the settlement of Canaan and apostasy to Canaanite idolatry, but they also looked forward to a renewed pilgrimage in the wilderness ( Hosea 2:14-15;  Hosea 9:10 , compare  Deuteronomy 32:10;  Jeremiah 2:2-3;  Jeremiah 31:2-3 ). There would be a new Exodus after the Babylonian Exile through the north Syrian desert to make the Lord their king and “prepare his way” ( Ezekiel 20:30-38;  Isaiah 40:3-5 ). John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea as the promised prophetic forerunner ( Matthew 3:1-3;  Mark 1:2-4;  Luke 3:2-6;  John 1:23 ). Not only did Jesus overcome the tempter in the wilderness, but He fed the four thousand in a desolate place east of Lake Galilee ( Mark 8:1-9 ). See Desert; Paran; Wilderness Of Shur; Wilderness Of Sin; Sinai; Wanderings.

M. Pierce Matheny

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [2]

1: ἐρημία (Strong'S #2047 — Noun Feminine — eremia — er-ay-mee'-ah )

"an uninhabited place," is translated "wilderness" in the AV of  Matthew 15:33;  Mark 8:4 (RV, "a desert place"); RV and AV, "wilderness" in   2 Corinthians 11:26 . See Desert , A. (In the Sept.,  Isaiah 60:20;  Ezekiel 35:4,9 .

2: ἔρημος (Strong'S #2048 — — eremos — er'-ay-mos )

an adjective signifying "desolate, deserted, lonely," is used as a noun, and rendered "wilderness" 32 times in the AV; in  Matthew 24:26;  John 6:31 , RV, "wilderness" (AV, "desert"). For the RV, "deserts" in  Luke 5:16;  8:29 see Desert , B.

Morrish Bible Dictionary [3]

This term and that of DESERTdo 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 JUDAHis 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.  Deuteronomy 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  Ephesians 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.

Easton's Bible Dictionary [4]

  • Tohu, a "desolate" place, a place "waste" or "unoccupied" ( Deuteronomy 32:10;  Job 12:24; Compare  Genesis 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" ( Exodus 15:22 ), and the eastern the "wilderness of Paran."

    The "wilderness of Judea" ( Matthew 3:1 ) is a wild, barren region, lying between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. It is the "Jeshimon" mentioned in  1 Samuel 23:19 .

    Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

    Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Wilderness'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/w/wilderness.html. 1897.

    • Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types [5]

     Psalm 102:6 (a) This type represents the lonely, desolate condition of the blessed Lord as He walked about among sinful men and wicked enemies on the earth. (See under PELICAN).

     Proverbs 21:19 (a) It is better for one to go without many comforts, and to deny himself many pleasures if thereby he can live as he pleases. This is to be preferred to living the life with one who is constantly a source of sorrow and trouble to the heart.

     Isaiah 32:15 (b) This is a wonderful type of the barren Christian life, which is filled with sorrow, difficulty, disappointment and grief, but which, by the ministry of the Spirit, becomes a life filled with fruitfulness, beauty and joy.

     Isaiah 43:19 (b) This word describes the deliverance which GOD is able to bring into the tangled affairs of human life, straightens out the difficulties, delivers from perplexities, and brings His child safely through to a life of peace.

     Revelation 12:6 (b) Probably this refers to the condition of Israel as scattered throughout the world, where they have weary feet, longing eyes, and heavy hearts. GOD will bring them out of this condition, and out of these nations, to inhabit again their own land.

     Revelation 17:3 (b) This wilderness no doubt represents the various nations of the world in which the great apostate and religious system operates. This church produces nothing but tragedy and sin in the lives of the people who become members of their group. It really is a wilderness in every sense of the word.

    People's Dictionary of the Bible [6]

    Wilderness, The, in which the Israelites spent 40 years, between Egypt and Canaan, is called sometimes the "great and terrible wilderness" by way of eminence.  Deuteronomy 1:1;  Deuteronomy 8:2;  Joshua 5:6;  Nehemiah 9:19;  Nehemiah 9:21;  Psalms 78:40;  Psalms 78:52;  Psalms 107:4;  Jeremiah 2:2. In general it may be identified with the peninsula of Sinai, the triangular region between the Gulf of Akabah, on the east, and the Gulf of Suez and Egypt on the west. See Sinai. In this region there are several smaller wildernesses, as Etham, Paran, Shur, Zin. What is known distinctively as the "wilderness of the Wandering" is the great central limestone plateau between the granite region of Sinai on the south, the sandy desert on the north, and the valley of the Arabah on the east. The explorations of travellers and the British Ordnance Survey have made this region quite well known. The route of the Israelites from Egypt to Kadesh can be traced with reasonable accuracy. Instead of entering the Promised Land immediately from Kadesh, they were driven back into the wilderness for their disobedience, and there wandered for 40 years. They probably lived a nomad life as do the Bedouin Arabs of the present day.

    King James Dictionary [7]

    WILDERNESS, n. from wild.

    1. A desert a tract of land or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide barren plain. In the United States, it is applied only to a forest. In Scripture, it is applied frequently to the deserts of Arabia. The Israelites wandered int he wilderness forty years. 2. The ocean.

    The watry wilderness yields no supply.

    3. A state of disorder. Not in use. 4. A wood in a garden, resembling a forest.

    Webster's Dictionary [8]

    (1): ( v. t.) A tract of land, or a region, uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide, barren plain; a wild; a waste; a desert; a pathless waste of any kind.

    (2): ( v. t.) Quality or state of being wild; wildness.

    (3): ( v. t.) A disorderly or neglected place.

    Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament [9]

    See Desert.

    American Tract Society Bible Dictionary [10]

    See Desert .

    Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [11]

    is in the A.V. the most frequent rendering of מַדְבָּר (Midbar, Ἡ Ἔρημος), which primarily denotes a region not regularly tilled or inhabited ( Job 38:26;  Isaiah 32:15;  Jeremiah 2:2), but used for pasturage (from

    דָּבִר, To Track, referring to the cattle-paths) ( Jeremiah 9:9;  Psalms 65:13;  Joel 2:22;  Luke 15:4); mostly treeless and dry, but not entirely destitute of vegetation or fertility, such as are of frequent occurrence in the East (Robinson 2:656; occasionally cultivated in spots, Josephus, Ant. 12:4, 6). Towers were sometimes erected in them for the protection of flocks ( 2 Chronicles 26:10;  2 Kings 17:9; comp.  Isaiah 1:8). The term is likewise in some instances applied to particular barren tracts of hard arid steppes ( Isaiah 35:6;  Isaiah 41:18;  Isaiah 43:20;  Lamentations 4:3;  Malachi 1:3) overrun with wild animals (see Rosenmiller, Morgenl. 1:88 sq.); although for such spots the words מַדְבִּר שְׁמָמָה ( Joel 2:3; Joel 4:19), יְשׁימוֹן, עֲרָבָה (see Credner, in the Stud. U. Krit. 1833, 3:788 sq.), etc., are usually employed. For a remarkable phenomenon of these dry wastes, (See Mirage). Although this kind of region is not particularly characteristic of Palestine, yet the term Midbar is applied to the following localities in it or its immediate vicinity (See Desert).

    1. The Wilderness Of Judah also called Jeshimon ( 1 Samuel 23:19;  1 Samuel 26:1;  1 Samuel 26:3), is a rocky district in the eastern part of that tribe adjoining the Dead Sea and including the town of Engedi ( Joshua 15:61;  Judges 1:16). It appears to have extended from the vicinity of the Kedron, a few miles east of Jerusalem, to the S.W. shore of the Dead Sea and to the hills of Judah. The convent of Mar Saba (q.v.) is a marked feature of one of its wild and barren dells. (See Wilderness Of Judah). On the N.W. border of the wilderness of Judah lay The Wilderness Of Tekoa ( 2 Chronicles 20:20;  1 Maccabees 9:33); as in its E. part appears to have lain the Wilderness of Engedi ( 1 Samuel 24:2), and in its S. part The Wilderness Of Ziph (23:14 sq.) or Maon (q.v.), otherwise called Jeruel (2 Chronicles 20:46). The Wilderness of St. John ( Matthew 3:1;  Matthew 3:3; comp. 11:7;  Luke 1:80) is a part of the desert of Judah; although modern tradition gives that name to the neighborhood of Ain Karim west of Jerusalem. (See John The Baptist).

    2. The Wilderness Of Beersheba ( Genesis 21:14) lay south of that town on the borders of the desert Et-Tih. (See Beersheba).

    3. The Wilderness Of Jericho ( Joshua 16:1), between that city and the Mount of Olives, or rather Bethany, was an extension of the desert of Judah, a rough and stony tract full of precipices (see Josephus, Ant. 10:8, 2), which contains the so-called khan of the Samaritans ( Luke 10:30). Its N, E. extremity is The Wilderness Of Quarantana (q.v.), and its N.W. extremity The Wilderness Of Beth-Aven ( Joshua 18:12).

    4. The Wilderness Of Gibeon, in the vicinity of that city, north of Jerusalem ( 2 Samuel 2:24).

    5. The Wilderness Of Reuben ( Deuteronomy 4:43), denotes the barren tract in the neighborhood of Bezer, on the border of the tribe towards the Arabian desert. (See Reuben).

    6. The Wilderness Of Bethsaida ( Luke 9:10), a pasture-ground adjoining that town, apparently extending on both sides of the mouth of the Upper Jordan. (See Bethsaida). For the Wilderness Of Arabia Petraea or of Mt. Sinai, including those of Etham, Paran, Shur, and the Arabah, (See Wilderness Of The Wanderings).

    International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [12]

    wil´dẽr - nes . See Desert; Judaea , Wilderness Of; Wanderings Of Israel .

    The Nuttall Encyclopedia [13]

    A district covered with brushwood in Virginia, U.S., the scene of a two days' terrible conflict between the Federals and the Confederates on the 5th and 6th May 1864.

    Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature [14]

    [DESERTS]

    References

    1. ↑ Wilderness from Holman Bible Dictionary
    2. ↑ Wilderness from Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words
    3. ↑ Wilderness from Morrish Bible Dictionary
    4. ↑ Wilderness from Easton's Bible Dictionary
    5. ↑ Wilderness from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types
    6. ↑ Wilderness from People's Dictionary of the Bible
    7. ↑ Wilderness from King James Dictionary
    8. ↑ Wilderness from Webster's Dictionary
    9. ↑ Wilderness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
    10. ↑ Wilderness from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
    11. ↑ Wilderness from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
    12. ↑ Wilderness from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
    13. ↑ Wilderness from The Nuttall Encyclopedia
    14. ↑ Wilderness from Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature
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