Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [
מִדְבָּר]
noun masculine mouth, as organ of speech, —
מִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה thy mouth is lovely Songs 4:3 ""
שִׁפְתוֺתַיִךְ,
ᵐ5 λαλιά, Jerome
eloquium.
II. מִדְבָּר270 noun masculine wilderness — Deuteronomy 32:10 +; with ה locative מִדְבָּ֫רָה Joshua 18:12 15t.; construct Exodus 15:22 +; מִדְבַּ֫רָה 1 Kings 19:15; suffix מִדְבָּרָהּ Isaiah 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) Psalm 65:13; ׳מ ׳יָָֽבְשׁוּ נ are dried up Jeremiah 23:10, compare Jeremiah 9:9; Joel 1:19,20.
2 uninhabited land, מִדְבָּר לֹאאָֿדָם בּוֺ wilderness in which is no man Job 38:26; the abode of pelicans Psalm 102:7; wild asses Job 24:5; Jeremiah 2:24; jackals Malachi 1:3; ostriches Lamentations 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 Jeremiah 9:1; טוֺב שֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious woman Proverbs 21:19; בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן in a desert land, and in a waste howling wilderness Deuteronomy 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 Isaiah 42:11. There were six cities in the wilderness of Judah Joshua 15:61,62; הַמִּדְבָּר usually = wilderness of the wanderings Genesis 14:6; Numbers 14:16,29,32,33 (twice in verse) +, or the great Arabian desert Judges 11:22 +; but may also refer to any other Songs 3:6; Songs 8:5. Special tracts — (a) of the wilderness of the wandering were שׁוּר ׳מ Exodus 15:22, סיןExodus 16:1 +, סיני Exodus 19:1 +, פארן Numbers 13:26 +, צן Numbers 20:1 +, קדשׁ Psalm 29:8, אתם Numbers 33:8; (b) in West Palestine יהודה ׳מ Judges 1:16; Psalm 63:1 compare Joshua 15:61, מעוֺן 1 Samuel 23:24,25, זיף 1 Samuel 23:15; 1 Samuel 26:2, באר שׁבע Genesis 21:14, עין גדי 1 Samuel 24:2, תקוע2Chronicles 20:20, ירואל2Chronicles 20:16, גבעון 2 Samuel 2:24; (c) in Eastern Palestine מואב Deuteronomy 2:8, אדום 2 Kings 3:8, קדמות Deuteronomy 2:26.
4 figurative וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ כַמִּדְבָּר וְשַׁתִּהָ כְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה and (lest I) make her as a wilderness and set her like a dry land Hosea 2:5; הֲמִדְבָּר הָיִיתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל have I been a wilderness to Israel ? Jeremiah 2:31.
דבשׁ (√ of following; compare Arabic IX. become black or brown, of a colour between black and red; see derivatives; so Fl see below; yet verb in this meaning perhaps denominative from i.e. having the colour of dibs).