What is the Significance of the Negev in the Bible?

"Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negev!"
​Psalm 126:4

What is unique about the Negev desert? What sets the Negev desert apart from any of the other deserts in Israel?

First thing is that despite being a desert, the Negev covers about 55% of Israel's landmass area. It is also home to more than 8% of the total Israeli population.

According to historians, the Negev desert is one of the oldest discovered surfaces on earth. The dead sea and the ancient fortress of Masada are located in this region of Israel.

​But what does the Bible say about the Negev?

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What is the significance of Negev in the Bible?

The Negev desert goes back to the events of Abraham's life through the time Israel wandered through the wilderness.

​The Negev is mentioned in the following Bible verses:

"So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negev." Genesis 12:4-9

"From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar." Genesis 20:1

"Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, 'Go up into the Negev and go up into the hill country, and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.' Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes." Numbers 13:17-20

"So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel commanded." Joshua 10:40

"So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland." Joshua 11:16

"And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the lowland." Judges 1:9

"Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negev and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire." 1 Samuel 30:1

The Negev, a desert in the southern region of Israel, is mentioned several times in the Bible. Negev (sometimes translated Negeb) is derived from the Hebrew root "dry land." Some biblical passages use "Negev" to mean south because the Negev desert lay south of Judah. In the Septuagint (Greek version of the Hebrew Bible) Negev is translated as "desert."

Additional passages about the Negev: Genesis 24:62; Deuteronomy 1:46; Joshua 12:8, 15; 19:1-9​.

Does anyone own the Negev desert or live there?

Yes, as of 2010, the Negev had a population of 630,000 people. According to historians, Negev was a pastoral region in biblical times, it was after the Arab conquest in the 7th century that the land was left desolate for 1,200 years. After the creation of the nation of Israel in 1948, the need to develop this area which made up 55% of the country's landmass area was raised, and water was brought to the area through pipelines and conduits.

Is there anything interesting to see or do in a desert in Israel?

For sightseeing, the Negev is a beautiful sight to behold! Mere pictures cannot do it justice. If you have never been to a desert before, you will find the landscape quite fascinating. There is a variety of unique geographical formations including Makhteshim—a unique, crater-like landform that you won't find anywhere else in Israel. If you plan to visit, a Jeep tour, with an experienced driver who understands the terrain, would certainly be an unforgettable experience. The Dead Sea, the fortress of Masada, and Ein Avdat are all located in the Negev desert. To learn more about visiting the Negev, visit the Tourist Israel Website.

Have you traveled to Israel, specifically the Negev region?