Page 24 - Holyland Magazine - 2010 Edition

Israel’s semi-arid wilderness, the the “wilderness of Beersheba,” Isaac was Visitors descend into the Israelite water system at
Negev, is a place of true biblical born (Gen. 21:14). Tel Be'er Sheva.
beginnings that should be on every
Holy Land itinerary. The very name Beersheba – or Be’er Sheva expertise shows: Olive groves, citrus
in Hebrew, which means both “well of orchards and newly planted pine forests
The Negev, a triangle in the south seven” and “well of the oath” – is taken daub the mustard-colored Negev expanses
from a key incident in Abraham’s life. with rich green. Israel hopes that, like Isaac,
of Israel that covers about half of the Following a struggle over water (still a central its highly trained agronomists will be able
country’s approximately 8,000 square miles, theme in the region!), Abraham’s adversary, to reap “one hundredfold” (Gen. 26:12)
is the backdrop for much of early biblical Abimelech, denied knowledge of from this region.
history, especially the stories of Abraham, wrongdoing. “So Abraham took sheep and
Isaac and Jacob. oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the Tel Be’er Sheva, the archaeological mound
Abraham wandered throughout the land two of them made a covenant. And just outside the modern city of Beersheba,
of Canaan, from as far north as Dan down Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock is a fascinating Negev destination for
through Jerusalem, Shechem, Sodom and by themselves.… And he said, ‘You will Christian travelers. You’ll be able to stand
Gomorrah, and the tents of Mamre – and take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, outside the gate of the ancient city, and
later to Hebron, where he purchased a that they may be my witness that I have gaze down into the 210-foot well that
family burial plot. But after the destruction dug this well.’ Therefore he called that place
of Sodom, Abraham seems to have made Beersheba, because the two of them swore
the Negev his permanent home. Here, in an oath there” (Gen. 21:27-33).

The holy of holies in the sanctuary at Tel Arad, Only about 90 minutes of smooth highway
probably destroyed during King Hezekiah's reforms separate Beersheba from Tel Aviv or
(2 King 18:4, 18:22). Jerusalem. But in every other way, it’s a
world of difference. As you leave behind
the rocky mountains of Jerusalem or the
crowded Tel Aviv metropolis and head
southward, you watch the landscape give
way to “roomy plains,” as Isaac dubbed
this area in Genesis 26:22.

Here, wheat grows in abundance
throughout the winter, ripening to a golden
hue in spring. Moreover, Israel is a world
leader in arid-land agriculture, and its

MEETINGOAn BhisRoAwnHtuArfM

A view of the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 13:21) is an unforgettable
way to begin your Holy Land journey. Photos: Paul Palatnic

24 “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom” (Isa. 35:1)