Scenes From the Promised Land
Wilderness of Judah—Barren but Fascinating
WHAT do you imagine the wilderness of Judah in the Promised Land to be like? Some think of a vast, dense forest. Others imagine a Saharalike desert with endless stretches of sand.
Neither image matches this wilderness, as you can see from the above photograph. In this view, you are looking at a part of the wilderness that is linked with Jesus. Tradition has it that Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” from this summit, which is on the edge of the wilderness and overlooks the palm-decked city of Jericho in the Jordan Valley to the east.—Matthew 3:1; 4:1-11.
From this northeastern part, the wilderness of Judah extends down along the western side of the Dead Sea. It may help you to picture this area if you look at the cover map on the 1989 Calendar of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (The calendar also has a large version of the above picture.) The wilderness (10 to 15 miles [16 to 24 km] wide) is on the eastern slopes of the Judean mountains, down to the shores of the Dead Sea.
Those mountains block most of the moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea. So the soft, bare chalk hills on the eastern side receive little rain except during the winter months of November and December. At that time grass springs up, enabling flocks of sheep to graze here. Thus, “the stone sheepfolds” mentioned at 1 Samuel 24:3 accurately fit this region.
The grass that grows here does not endure long. East winds from the desert soon turn the green a parched brown. How well this illustrates the prophetic comment: “The green grass has dried up, the blossom has withered; but as for the word of our God, it will last to time indefinite.”—Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24, 25.
Perhaps Jesus reflected on this text while wandering in this wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. Think how Jesus must have felt under the scorching sun that beats down on the treeless rocks and ravines. (Isaiah 32:2) How understandable that afterward “angels came and began to minister to him”!—Matthew 4:1-11.
Because of its barrenness and lack of inhabitants, the Judean wilderness was often used as a place of refuge. When fleeing from enraged King Saul, David found protection there, describing it as “a land dry and exhausted, where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1 and superscription; 1 Samuel 23:29) For a time he hid out in a cave, perhaps like the Umm Qatafa Cave in Wadi Khareitun (a valley running from east of Bethlehem toward the Dead Sea). (Hebrews 11:32, 38) In this view from the cave, you can see in the lower right some black sheep foraging for scattered vegetation.
David was in a cave in the region of En-gedi when Saul entered to ease nature. Though David cut off the skirt of Saul’s coat, he would not harm “the anointed of Jehovah.” Later David called to Saul, maybe when the king was down amid the abundant foliage. (1 Samuel 24:1-22) ‘Abundant foliage here?’ you may wonder.
Yes, when there is ample water, this wilderness can blossom. En-gedi is an example. Water seeping through the porous rock emerges as springs and waterfalls in this valley that opens onto the western shore of the Dead Sea. This makes En-gedi a veritable jungle, rich in plant life. Visiting there, you can find many types of flowers and fruits. You might also see wildlife, ranging from rock badgers to mountain goats; there are even leopards in the area!—1 Samuel 24:2; Song of Solomon 1:14.
That the barren wilderness of Judah can become so verdant adds richness to our understanding of Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing from the temple in Jerusalem. The flow increased until it was a torrent running eastward down through the Judean wilderness. With what effect? Ezekiel wrote: “Why, look! on the bank of the torrent there were very many trees . . . And their fruitage must prove to be for food and their leafage for healing.” The water flowed into the Dead Sea, healing even its lifeless waters.—Ezekiel 47:1-12; Isaiah 35:1, 6, 7.
Hence, though the wilderness of Judah is semiarid and desolate, it is also a fascinating region of contrasts that figures in many Bible accounts.—Luke 10:29-37.
[Picture Credit Line on page 16]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
[Picture Credit Line on page 17]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.