Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
BDB1829 H4057
BDB1828 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB1830
I. [מִדְבָּר] noun masculine mouth, as organ of speech, — מִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה thy mouth is lovely Song 4:3 || שִׁפְתוֺתַיִךְ, ᵐ5 λαλιά, Jerome eloquium.
BDB1830 H4057
BDB1829 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB1831
II. מִדְבָּר270 noun masculine wilderness — Deut 32:10 +; with ה locative מִדְבָּ֫רָה Josh 18:12 + 15 t.; construct Exod 15:22 +; מִדְבַּ֫רָה 1Kgs 19:15 suffix מִדְבָּרָהּ Isa 51:3 — 1. tracts of land, used for the pasturage of flocks and herds,
דָּֽשְׁאוּ נְאוֺת מִדְבָּר the pastures of the wilderness put forth green grass Joel 2:22 ׳מ ׳יִרְעֲפוּ נ the pastures of the wilderness drop (fertility)
Ps 65:13 ׳מ ׳יָָֽבְשׁוּ נ are dried up Jer 23:10, compare
Jer 9:9;
Joel 1:19;
Joel 1:20.
2. uninhabited land,
מִדְבָּר לֹאאָֿדָם בּוֺ wilderness in which is no man Job 38:26 the abode of pelicans
Ps 102:7 wild asses
Job 24:5;
Jer 2:24 jackals
Mal 1:3 ostriches
Lam 4:3 מִייִֿתְּנֵנִי בַמִּדְבָּר מְלוֺן אֹרְחִים וְֶאעֶזְבָה אֶתעַֿמִּי O that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfarers, that I might leave my people Jer 9:1 טוֺב שֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious woman
Prov 21:19 בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן in a desert land, and in a waste howling wilderness Deut 32:10.
3. large tracts of such land bearing various names, in certain districts of which there might be towns and cities:
יִשְׂאוּ מִדְבָּר וְעָרָיו חֲצֵרִים תֵּשֵׁב קֵדָר let the wilderness and its cities lift up (their voice),
the villages that Kedar doth inhabit Isa 42:11. There were six cities in the wilderness of Judah
Josh 15:61;
Josh 15:62 הַמִּדְבָּר usually = wilderness of the wanderings
Gen 14:6;
Num 14:16;
Num 14:29;
Num 14:32;
Num 14:33 (twice in verse) +, or the great Arabian desert
Judg 11:22 +; but may also refer to any other
Song 3:6;
Song 8:5. Special tracts — (a) of the wilderness of the wandering were
שׁוּר ׳מ Exod 15:22,
סיןExod 16:1 +,
סיני Exod 19:1 +,
פארן Num 13:26 +,
צן Num 20:1 +,
קדשׁ Ps 29:8,
אתם Num 33:8 (b) in West Palestine
יהודה ׳מ Judg 1:16;
Ps 63:1 compare
Josh 15:61,
מעוֺן 1Sam 23:24;
1Sam 23:25,
זיף 1Sam 23:15;
1Sam 26:2,
באר שׁבע Gen 21:14,
עין גדי 1Sam 24:2,
תקוע 2Chr 20:20,
ירואל 2Chr 20:16,
גבעון 2Sam 2:24 (c) in Eastern Palestine
מואב Deut 2:8,
אדום 2Kgs 3:8,
קדמות Deut 2:26.
4. figurative
וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ כַמִּדְבָּר וְשַׁתִּהָ כְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה and (lest I) make her as a wilderness and set her like a dry land Hos 2:5 הֲמִדְבָּר הָיִיתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל have I been a wilderness to Israel ? Jer 2:31.