The Arabah, a desert plain extending from the Sea of Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba.
Also known as desert,wilderness,plain,champaign,desert
The Arabah, also known as the desert or plain, is a geographic region mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament. It refers to the elongated depression that runs from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south, including the Jordan Valley and the area south of the Dead Sea.
In the book of Deuteronomy, the Arabah is mentioned in the context of Moses' farewell address to the Israelites, recounting their journey from Horeb (Sinai) to the Promised Land (Deu.1.1, 7; 2:8). The Arabah is described as part of the route they took and as a region they passed through.
The Arabah is also mentioned in the book of Joshua as a reference point for the boundaries of the tribal allotments (Joshua 11:16; 12:1, 3, 8; 18:18). It served as a natural border between the territories of the tribes settling in Canaan.
In the historical books, the Arabah is associated with events such as David's flight from Absalom (2Sa.2.29; 4:7) and the escape of King Zedekiah from Jerusalem during the Babylonian invasion (2Ki.25.4; Jeremiah 39:4; 52:7).
The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel mention the Arabah in their prophecies. Isaiah speaks of the Arabah as a place of desolation (Isaiah 33:9), while Ezekiel envisions a future restoration where the waters flowing from the temple will bring life to the Arabah (Ezk.47.8).
The Arabah's arid climate and sparse vegetation make it a challenging environment. However, its strategic location along trade routes and its unique geological features, such as the Dead Sea, have made it a significant region throughout biblical history.
Approximate location: 32.030, 35.521 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Plain, in the Revised Version of 2 Kings 14:25; Josh. 3:16; 8:14; 2 Sam. 2:29; 4:7 (in all these passages the A.V. has “plain”); Amos 6:14 (A.V. “wilderness”). This word is found in the Authorized Version only in Josh. 18:18. It denotes the hollow depression through which the Jordan flows from the Lake of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It is now called by the Arabs el-Ghor. But the Ghor is sometimes spoken of as extending 10 miles south of the Dead Sea, and thence to the Gulf of Akabah on the Red Sea is called the Wady el-Arabah.
(burnt up). Although this word appears in the Authorized Version in its original shape only in (Joshua 18:18) yet in the Hebrew text it is of frequent occurrence. It indicates more particularly the deep-sunken valley or trench which forms the most striking among the many striking natural features of Palestine, and which extends with great uniformity of formation from the slopes of Hermon to the Elanitic Gulf (Gulf of Akabah) of the Red Sea; the most remarkable depression known to exist on the surface of the globe. Through the northern portion of this extraordinary fissure the Jordan rushes through the lakes of Huleh and Gennesaret down its tortuous course to the deep chasm of the Dead Sea. This portion, about 150 miles in length, is known amongst the Arabs by the name of el-Ghor . The southern boundary of the (Ghor is the wall of cliffs which crosses the valley about 10 miles south of the Dead Sea. From their summits, southward to the Gulf of Akabah, the valley changes its name, or, it would be more accurate to say, retains old name of Wady el-Arabah .
AR'ABAH (burnt up), a word of frequent use in the Hebrew, though found only once in the English, version. Josh 18:18. It is the name applied to the deep sunken valley which extends from Mount Hermon to the Elamitic Gulf of the Red Sea. This remarkable depression is about 250 miles long, and includes the Sea of Galilee and the Salt, or Dead, Sea, In some passages in Deuteronomy, the plain or "the Arabah" refers to the southern portion of the valley, between the Salt Sea and the Red Sea, Deut 1:1; Deut 2:8; in other passages the word doubtless refers to the northern portion of that valley along the Jordan, which the Arabs now call el-Ghor. See Jordan. Arabah is now applied only to that portion of the valley which stretches from the chalk-cliffs below the Dead Sea southward to the Gulf of Akabah— Elanitic Gulf. It is about 100 miles long and from 4 to 16 miles wide. The limestone walls on the west of the valley are from 1500 to 1800 feet in height; the mountain-wall on the east side of the valley rises from 2000 to 2300 in height, and in Mount Hor to 5000 feet, and is chiefly composed of granitic and basaltic rock. The surface of the valley is covered with loose gravel, blocks of porphyry, and is furrowed with torrents, with scarcely a trace of vegetation. It is oppressively hot, is swept with burning winds, the Sirocco blowing at some seasons without intermission, a region dreary and desolate. The theory that the Jordan once ran through this valley into the Red Sea is now held to be untenable. Arabah in Josh 18:18 has also been mistaken for the name of a city, and confounded with Beth-arabah of Josh 15:61; Josh 18:22; but in v. 1 Sam 30:18 the word has the article before it in the Hebrew, and hence refers to the plain, as elsewhere. See also Zin, Wilderness of, and Salt…
AR'ABAH (burnt up), a word of frequent use in the Hebrew, though found only once in the English, version. Josh 18:18. It is the name applied to the deep sunken valley which extends from Mount Hermon to the Elamitic Gulf of the Red Sea. This remarkable depression is about 250 miles long, and includes the Sea of Galilee and the Salt, or Dead, Sea, In some passages in Deuteronomy, the plain or "the Arabah" refers to the southern portion of the valley, between the Salt Sea and the Red Sea, Deut 1:1; Deut 2:8; in other passages the word doubtless refers to the northern portion of that valley along the Jordan, which the Arabs now call el-Ghor. See Jordan. Arabah is now applied only to that portion of the valley which stretches from the chalk-cliffs below the Dead Sea southward to the Gulf of Akabah— Elanitic Gulf. It is about 100 miles long and from 4 to 16 miles wide. The limestone walls on the west of the valley are from 1500 to 1800 feet in height; the mountain-wall on the east side of the valley rises from 2000 to 2300 in height, and in Mount Hor to 5000 feet, and is chiefly composed of granitic and basaltic rock. The surface of the valley is covered with loose gravel, blocks of porphyry, and is furrowed with torrents, with scarcely a trace of vegetation. It is oppressively hot, is swept with burning winds, the Sirocco blowing at some seasons without intermission, a region dreary and desolate. The theory that the Jordan once ran through this valley into the Red Sea is now held to be untenable. Arabah in Josh 18:18 has also been mistaken for the name of a city, and confounded with Beth-arabah of Josh 15:61; Josh 18:22; but in v. 1 Sam 30:18 the word has the article before it in the Hebrew, and hence refers to the plain, as elsewhere. See also Zin, Wilderness of, and Salt…
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22 verses in 9 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6160
These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.
The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.
including all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.
Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?
When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.
to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, and in Naphoth-dor to the west;
So Joshua took this entire region: the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel and their foothills,
Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites struck down and whose lands they took beyond the Jordan to the east, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah eastward:
as well as the Arabah east of the Sea of Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), eastward through Beth-jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
the hill country, the foothills, the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites):
Then it went on to the northern slope of Beth-arabah and went down into the valley.
So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon,
And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the kingʼs garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the kingʼs garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the kingʼs garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, the water there becomes fresh.
All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.