Engedi

Fountain of the kid, 1 Samuel 24:1,3; called also Hazezon-Tamar, that is, the city of palm-trees, there being great numbers of palm-trees around it, Genesis 14:7 2 Chronicles 20:1,2. It stood near the middle of the western shore of the Dead sea, twenty-five or thirty miles south- east of Jerusalem, in the edge of the loftiest part of the wilderness of Judea, a region full of rocks and caverns, 1 Samuel 23:29 Ezekiel 47:10. See cut in SEA, 3. The heights of En-gedi are fifteen hundred feet above the Dead Sea. At four hundred feet from the sea a fine and copious fountain, still bearing its ancient name, flows down to the sea, watering in its course a fruitful valley and a plain half a mile square, in both of which ruins are found. The mountainside was formerly terraced, and the whole spot was on oasis of fertility, So 1:14.

EN-GEDI

en'-ge-di, en-ge'-di (`en gedhi, "fountain of the kid"):

Identical with the present Ain Jidi. According to 2 Chronicles 20:2 it is the same as Hazazon-tamar, mentioned in Genesis 14:7 as occupied by the Amorites and as having been attacked by Chedorlaomer after leaving Kadesh and El Paran on his way to the Vale of Siddim. The place is situated upon the West shore of the Dead Sea about midway between the North and the South ends, and was included in the territory of Judah (Joshua 15:62). The spot is rendered attractive by the verdure clothing it by reason of immense fountains of warm water, 80 degrees F., which pour out from beneath the limestone cliffs.

In the time of Solomon (Songs 1:14) palms and vines were cultivated here. Josephus also mentions its beautiful palm groves.

In the time of Eusebius it was still a place of importance, but since the Middle Ages it has been almost deserted, being occupied now only by a few Arabs. The oasis occupies a small area a few hundred feet above the Dead Sea marked by the 650 ft. sedimentary terrace heretofore described (see DEAD SEA). The limestone borders rise so abruptly to a height of 2,000 ft. immediately on the West, that the place can be approached only by a rock-cut path. Two streams, Wady Sugeir and Wady el-Areyeh, descend on either side through precipitous rocky gorges from the uninhabitable wilderness separating it from Bethlehem and Hebron. It was in the caves opening out from the sides of these gorges that David took refuge from Saul (1 Samuel 24:1). During the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:2), the children of Ammon, Moab and Mt. Seir attempted to invade Judah by way of En-gedi, but were easily defeated as they came up from the gorges to occupy the advantageous field of battle chosen by Jehoshaphat.

George Frederick Wright

Fountain of the kid, place in the wilderness of Judah (Joshua 15:62), on the western shore of the Dead Sea (Ezek. 47:10), and nearly equidistant from both extremities. To the wilderness near this town David fled for fear of Saul (Joshua 15:62; 1 Samuel 23:29). It was at first called Hazezon-tamar (Genesis 14:7), a city of the Amorites.

The vineyards of Engedi were celebrated in Solomon's time (Cant. 1:4). It is the modern `Ain Jidy. The "fountain" from which it derives its name rises on the mountain side about 600 feet above the sea, and in its rapid descent spreads luxuriance all around it. Along its banks the osher grows abundantly. That shrub is thus described by Porter: "The stem is stout, measuring sometimes nearly a foot in diameter, and the plant grows to the height of 15 feet or more. It has a grayish bark and long oval leaves, which when broken off discharge a milky fluid. The fruit resembles an apple, and hangs in clusters of two or three. When ripe it is of a rich yellow colour, but on being pressed it explodes like a puff-ball. It is chiefly filled with air...This is the so-called `apple of Sodom.'" Through Samaria, etc. (see APPLE.)

5872. En Gedi -- "spring of a kid," a place on W. shore of the ...
... En Gedi. 5873 >>. "spring of a kid," a place on W. shore of the Dead Sea.
Transliteration: En Gedi Phonetic Spelling: (ane geh'-dee) Short Definition: Engedi. ...
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