The Negev, also spelled Negeb, is a significant geographical region in the biblical narrative, located in the southern part of ancient Israel. The term "Negev" is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "dry" or "south," aptly describing its arid climate and its position relative to the rest of the land of Israel. The Negev is a semi-desert region that extends from the southern edge of the Judean Hills to the Gulf of Aqaba.

Biblical Significance

The Negev holds considerable importance in the biblical text, serving as a backdrop for various events and narratives. It is frequently mentioned in the context of the patriarchs, particularly Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who sojourned in this region.

1. Abraham's Journeys: The Negev is first mentioned in connection with Abraham. After leaving Egypt, Abraham traveled through the Negev. Genesis 13:1-3 states, "So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he and his wife and all his possessions—and Lot was with him. And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold. From the Negev, he journeyed from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the site between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched."

2. Isaac's Dwelling: Isaac, Abraham's son, also had significant interactions with the Negev. Genesis 24:62 notes, "Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev." This indicates that Isaac made his home in this region, continuing the patriarchal presence in the area.

3. Jacob's Sojourn: Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, also had connections to the Negev. Before his descent into Egypt, Jacob stopped in Beersheba, a prominent city in the Negev, to offer sacrifices to God (Genesis 46:1).

Cities and Locations

Several key cities and locations within the Negev are mentioned in the Bible:

· Beersheba: One of the most notable cities in the Negev, Beersheba is frequently associated with the patriarchs. It is here that Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech (Genesis 21:31) and where Isaac built an altar to the Lord (Genesis 26:23-25).

· Kadesh-barnea: This site served as a significant encampment for the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. It was from Kadesh-barnea that the spies were sent to scout the Promised Land (Numbers 13:26).

· Zin Wilderness: The Negev includes the Wilderness of Zin, which is mentioned in the context of the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land (Numbers 33:36).

Role in Israel's History

The Negev played a crucial role in the history of Israel, serving as a frontier region and a buffer zone against southern threats. Its strategic location made it a vital area for trade and military campaigns. The Negev's harsh environment also served as a testing ground for the faith and resilience of the Israelites, as seen in their wilderness wanderings.

Prophetic References

The Negev is mentioned in various prophetic texts, often symbolizing desolation and restoration. For instance, Isaiah 21:1 refers to the "wilderness of the sea" as a place of judgment, while other passages speak of the Negev's future transformation and blessing (Isaiah 35:1).

In summary, the Negev is a region rich in biblical history and significance, serving as a setting for the lives of the patriarchs, a stage for Israel's formative experiences, and a symbol in prophetic literature. Its mention throughout the Scriptures underscores its importance in the unfolding narrative of God's covenant people.NEGEB

neg'-eb (ha-neghebh, "the negeb" or simply, neghebh, from a root meaning "to be dry," and therefore in the first instance implying the "dry" or "parched regions," hence, in the Septuagint it is usually translated eremos, "desert," also nageb):

1. Meaning:

As the Negeb lay to the South of Judah, the word came to be used in the sense of "the South," and is so used in a few passages (e.g. Genesis 13:14) and in such is translated lips (see GEOGRAPHY). The English translation is unsuitable in several passages, and likely to lead to confusion. For example, in Genesis 13:1 Abram is represented as going "into the South" when journeying northward from Egypt toward Bethel; in Numbers 13:22 the spies coming from the "wilderness of Zin" toward Hebron are described as coming "by the South," although they were going north. The difficulty in these and many other passages is at once obviated if it is recognized that the Negeb was a geographical term for a definite geographical region, just as Shephelah, literally, "lowland," was the name of another district of Palestine. In the Revised Version (British and American) "Negeb" is given in margin, but it would make for clearness if it were restored to the text.

2. Description:

This "parched" land is generally considered as beginning South of edition Dahariyeb-the probable site of DEBIR (which see)-and as stretching South in a series of rolling hills running in a general direction of East to West until the actual wilderness begins, a distance of perhaps 70 miles (see NATURAL FEATURES). To the East it is bounded by the Dead Sea and the southern Ghor, and to the West there is no defined boundary before the Mediterranean. It is a land of sparse and scanty springs and small rainfall; in the character of its soil it is a transition from the fertility of Canaan to the wilderness of the desert; it is essentially a pastoral land, where grazing is plentiful in the early months and where camels and goats can sustain life, even through the long summer drought. Today, as through most periods of history, it is a land for the nomad rather than the settled inhabitant, although abundant ruins in many spots testify to better physical conditions at some periods (see I, 5, below). The direction of the valleys East or West, the general dryness, and the character of the inhabitants have always made it a more or less isolated region without thoroughfare. The great routes pass along the coast to the West or up the Arabah to the East. It formed an additional barrier to the wilderness beyond it; against all who would lead an army from the South, this southern frontier of Judah was always secure. Israel could not reach the promised land by this route, through the land of the Amalekites (Numbers 13:29; Numbers 14:43-45).

3. Old Testament References:

The Negeb was the scene of much of Abram's wanderings (Genesis 12:9; Genesis 13:1, 3; 20:1); it was in this district that Hagar met with the angel (Genesis 16:7, 14); Isaac (Genesis 24:62) and Jacob (Genesis 37:1; Genesis 46:5) both dwelt there. Moses sent the spies through this district to the hill country (Numbers 13:17, 22); the Amalekites then dwelt there (Numbers 13:29) and apparently, too, in some parts of it, the Avvim (Joshua 13:3, 4). The inheritance of the children of Simeon, as given in Joshua 19:1-9, was in the Negeb, but in Joshua 15:21-32 these cities are credited to Judah (see SIMEON). Achish allotted to David, in response to his request, the city of ZIKLAG (q.v) in the Negeb (1 Samuel 27:5 f); the exploits of David were against various parts of this district described as the Negeb of Judah, the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites, and the Negeb of the Kenites, while in 1 Samuel 30:14 we have mention of the Negeb of the Cherethites and the Negeb of Caleb. To this we may add the Negeb of Arad (Judges 1:16). It is impossible to define the districts of these various clans (see separate articles under these names). The, Negeb, together with the "hill-country" and the "Shephelah," was according to Jeremiah (17:26; 32:44:00; 33:13) to have renewed prosperity after the captivity of Judah was ended.

4. Later History:

When Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem the Edomites sided with the Babylonians (compare Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 35:3-15 Obadiah 1:10-16), and during the absence of the Jews they advanced north and occupied all the Negeb and Southern Judea as far as Hebron (see JUDAEA). Here they annoyed the Jews in Maccabean times until Judas expelled them from Southern Judea (164 B.C.) and John Hyrcanus conquered their country and compelled them to become Jews (109 B.C.). It was to one of the cities here-Malatha-that Herod Agrippa withdrew himself (Josephus, Ant, XVIII, vi, 2).

The palmy days of this district appear to have been during the Byzantine period: the existing ruins, so far as they can be dated at all, belong to this time. Beersheba was an important city with a bishop, and Elusa (mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century) was the seat of a bishop in the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries. After the rise of Mohammedanism the land appears to have lapsed into primitive conditions. Although lawlessness and want of any central control may account for much of the retrogression, yet it is probable that Professor Ellsworth Huntington (loc. cit.) is right in his contention that a change of climate has had much to do with the rise and fall of civilization and settled habitation in this district. The district has long been given over to the nomads, and it is only quite recently that the Turkish policy of planting an official with a small garrison at Beersheba and at `Aujeh has produced some slight change in the direction of a settled population and agricultural pursuits.

5. Its Ancient Prosperity:

It is clear that in at least two historic periods the Negeb enjoyed a very considerable prosperity. What it may have been in the days of the Patriarchs it is difficult to judge; all we read of them suggests a purely nomadic life similar to the Bedouin of today but with better pasturage. In the division of the land among the tribes mention is made of many cities-the Hebrew mentions 29 (Joshua 15:21-32; Joshua 19:1-9 1 Chronicles 4:28-33)-and the wealth of cattle evidently was great (compare 1 Samuel 15:9; 1 Samuel 27:9; 1 Samuel 30:16 2 Chronicles 14:14). The condition of things must have been far different from that of recent times.

The extensive ruins at Bir es Seba` (Beersheba) Khalasa (Elusa), Ruheibeh (REHOBOTH, which see), `Aujeh and other cities, together with the signs of orchards, vineyards and gardens scattered widely around these and other sites, show how comparatively well populated this area was in Byzantine times in particular. Professor Huntington (loc. cit.) concludes from these ruins that the population of the large towns of the Negeb alone at this period must have amounted to between 45,000 and 50,000. The whole district does not support 1,000 souls today.

LITERATURE.

Robinson, BR (1838); Wilton, The Negeb, or "South Country" of Scripture (1863); E.H. Palmer, The Desert of the Exodus, II (1871); Trumbull, Kadesh-Barnea (1884); G. A. Smith, HGHL, chapter xiii (1894); E. Huntington, Palestine and Its Transformation, chapter vi, etc.

E. W. G. Masterman

884. Beer Sheba -- "well of seven," a place in the Negev
... Beer Sheba. 885 . "well of seven," a place in the Negev. Transliteration: Beer
Sheba Phonetic Spelling: (be-ayr' sheh'-bah) Short Definition: Beersheba. ...
/hebrew/884.htm - 6k

6107. Etsem -- "bone," a place in the Negev of Judah
... 6106, 6107. Etsem. 6108 . "bone," a place in the Negev of Judah. Transliteration:
Etsem Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-tsem) Short Definition: Ezem. ...
/hebrew/6107.htm - 6k

6166a. Arad -- a Canaanite city in the Negev
... 6166, 6166a. Arad. 6166b . a Canaanite city in the Negev. Transliteration:
Arad Short Definition: Arad. Word Origin of uncertain ...
/hebrew/6166a.htm - 5k

871. Atharim -- a caravan route in the Negev
... 870, 871. Atharim. 872 . a caravan route in the Negev. Transliteration: Atharim
Phonetic Spelling: (ath-aw-reem') Short Definition: Atharim. ...
/hebrew/871.htm - 6k

6166. Arad -- a Canaanite city in the Negev
... 6165, 6166. Arad. 6166a . a Canaanite city in the Negev. Transliteration:
Arad Phonetic Spelling: (ar-awd') Short Definition: Arad. Arad ...
/hebrew/6166.htm - 5k

7437b. Ramath Negeb -- "height of the south," a city in Simeon
Ramath Negeb. 7437a, 7437b. Ramath Negeb. 7438 . "height of the south," a city
in Simeon. Transliteration: Ramath Negeb Short Definition: Negev. ...
/hebrew/7437b.htm - 5k

7418. Ramoth-negeb -- "height of the south," a place in Simeon
... Ramoth-negeb. 7419 . "height of the south," a place in Simeon. Transliteration:
Ramoth-negeb Phonetic Spelling: (raw-moth-neh'-gheb) Short Definition: Negev. ...
/hebrew/7418.htm - 6k

5045. negeb -- south country, the Negeb, south
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition south country, the Negeb, south NASB
Word Usage Negev (36), South (11), south (45), south side (2), south* (3 ...
/hebrew/5045.htm - 6k

Palestine Eighteen Centuries Ago
... and Ephraim; and there, beyond these plains and valleys, the highland scenery of
Judah, shelving down through the pasture tracts of the Negev, or South country ...
/.../sketches of jewish social life/chapter 1 palestine eighteen centuries.htm

Negev (39 Occurrences)
... EWG Masterman. Multi-Version Concordance Negev (39 Occurrences). ... (See NAS NIV). Psalms
126:4 Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like the streams in the Negev. ...
/n/negev.htm - 26k

Negeb (37 Occurrences)
... Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives
of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ...
/n/negeb.htm - 26k

Zarephat (1 Occurrence)
... Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives
of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ...
/z/zarephat.htm - 6k

Zarephath (4 Occurrences)
... Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives
of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ...
/z/zarephath.htm - 11k

Neginah (1 Occurrence)

/n/neginah.htm - 7k

Fortunes (30 Occurrences)
... in a dream. (See RSV). Psalms 126:4 Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like
the streams in the Negev. (WEB RSV NIV). Jeremiah 29:14 ...
/f/fortunes.htm - 15k

Sepharad (1 Occurrence)
... Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives
of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ...
/s/sepharad.htm - 8k

Streams (80 Occurrences)
... BBE). Psalms 126:4 Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like the streams in the
Negev. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV). Proverbs ...
/s/streams.htm - 30k

Exiles (46 Occurrences)
... Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives
of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ...
/e/exiles.htm - 20k

What is the significance of the Negev in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of Ziklag in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of Mount Nebo in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus