Wilderness of Judea

In Scripture

The Korean New Revised Version renders the name as Wilderness of Judah (Yuda gwangya) in the Old Testament and Wilderness of Judea (Yudae gwangya) in the New Testament. Both names refer to the same region.

• Judges 1:16: The descendants of the Kenite, the family of Moses' father-in-law, went up with the children of Judah "into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad," and dwelt among the people there.
• Joshua 15:61-62: Among the towns allotted to the tribe of Judah, those "in the wilderness" include Beth-arabah, the city of Salt, and En-gedi.
• 1 Samuel 23-24: David hid from Saul in the wilderness of Ziph, the wilderness of Maon, and the wilderness of En-gedi. These areas are regarded as parts of the Wilderness of Judah.
• Psalm 63 (superscription): The heading reads, "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah." The psalm expresses longing for God "in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."
• Matthew 3:1-3: John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew presents this as the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness."

Geography and Background

The Wilderness of Judea drops steeply from the hill country of Judah, several hundred meters above sea level, toward the Dead Sea, several hundred meters below sea level. Because the hills to the west block rain coming from the Mediterranean, the eastern slopes receive little rainfall. The result is a dry landscape cut by many ravines and caves.

The Hebrew word for wilderness, midbar, does not refer only to sandy desert. It broadly describes land without permanent settlement that can nevertheless be used for grazing sheep and goats. New Testament Greek uses the word erēmos (an empty or desolate place).

The road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho passes through this wilderness and is the setting of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30). The region is also where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the mid-twentieth century, in caves near Qumran on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In Scripture, the wilderness is where Israel was tested and experienced God's care during the forty years in the wilderness. It is also portrayed as a place of renewed encounter with God. For David, the Wilderness of Judea was a refuge where he relied on God while being pursued. In the New Testament, it became the place where the cry preparing the way of the Messiah was first heard.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Site of the temptation in the wilderness: Matthew 4:1 and Mark 1:12-13 say only that Jesus was tempted "in the wilderness." The identification of this place with the Wilderness of Judea is a traditional understanding based on its proximity to the area near the Jordan River where John was baptizing. One tradition commemorates a mountain west of Jericho as the site of the temptation, but the text does not specify the location. For details, see Temptation in the Wilderness.
• John the Baptist and the Qumran community: The Qumran community is commonly associated with the Essenes, and some scholars hold that John had a connection with this community. Scripture, however, does not say so, and scholarly opinion remains divided.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the wilderness is frequently used to describe a season of refining, training, and dependence on God alone. A number of gospel songs on the theme of "the wilderness" are also sung. Itineraries for pilgrimages to Israel commonly include worship or meditation while passing through this region on the way to Jericho and the Dead Sea.