Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. Genesis 21:33 We turned south, leaving the Shephelah and Coastal Plain behind us. It is obvious that less and less rain falls the farther south you go. The plants became smaller, sparser, and browner. We entered the Biblical Negev. While the modern Negev region covers the whole of the south of the country, in Biblical times it was a small region, forming the southern extreme of the ancient nation. At the center is the site of Beersheba, located where two […]
Tag Archives: Negev
The Dry South
What a desolate place this is. C-3PO, Star Wars: A New Hope Continuing my long weekend journey, Sunday was our journey south to the dry land of the Negev. Negev is Hebrew for dry and south, which accurately describes the region. The first part of the Negev is what we can call the Biblical Negev, which is a set of basins immediately south of the regions mentioned last time. This region is just past the rainfall line, receiving less than the amount needed to grow grain. Instead, shepherding works better. The ancient city of Arad was in the eastern Negev. […]