Lexical Definition

‎מִדְבָּר‎ midbâr (mid-bawr') mouth ^H:N-M
from ‎דָבַר‎ in the sense of driving

desert, south, speech, wilderness.

• a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven)
• by implication, a desert
• also speech (including its organs)

1) wilderness
1a) pasture
1b) uninhabited land, wilderness
1c) large tracts of wilderness (around cities)
1d) wilderness (fig.)
2) mouth
2a) mouth (as organ of speech)

See Greek: ἀγρός · ἄνυδρος · ἔρημος · ἔρημος · ἐρημόω · τόπος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. [‎מִדְבָּר‎] noun masculine mouth, as organ of speech, — ‎מִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה‎ thy mouth is lovely Song 4:3 || ‎שִׁפְתוֺתַיִךְ‎, ᵐ5 λαλιά, Jerome eloquium.

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 וְֶ˜אעֶזְבָה 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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References