Lexical Definition

‎עֲרָבָה‎ ʻărâbâh (ar-aw-baw') Arabah ^N:N--L
from ‎עָרַב‎ (in the sense of sterility)

Arabah, champaign, desert, evening, heaven, plain, wilderness. See also ‎בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה‎.

• a desert
• especially (with the article prefix) the (generally) sterile valley of the Jordan and its continuation to the Red Sea

1) desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness

See Greek: ἄπειρος · γῆ · διψάω · δυσμή · ἔρημος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎עֲרָבָה‎₆₁ noun feminine desert-plain, steppe; — absolute ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 2Sam 4:7 +, suffix ‎עַרְבָתָהּ‎ Isa 51:3 plural ‎עֲרָבוֺת‎ Jer 5:6; Ps 68:5*, construct ‎עַרְבוֺת‎ 2Kgs 25:5 +, ‎עַרְבֹת‎ Jer 52:8 —

1. earliest use:
a. arid steppe west of Dead Sea (in southern Judah) 1Sam 23:24, also Ezek 47:8; Isa 51:3, whence name ‎׳‎‎יָם הָע‎ Josh 3:16 (JE) || ‎יָם הַמֶּלַח‎), also 2Kgs 14:25; Deut 4:49, and (|| id.) Deut 3:17; Josh 12:3 (D); ‎נַחַל הָעֲרָבָה‎ Amos 6:14 must be east of Dead Sea, si vera lectio, but read probably ‎מִצְרַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎נ‎ see ‎נַחַל‎.
b. Jordan-valley west of river + adjacent plain; near ford (opposite Jericho) 2Sam 2:29, compare Josh 8:14 (JE); also Deut 11:30; 2Kgs 25:4 = Jer 39:4 = Jer 52:7 — 2Sam 15:28; 2Sam 17:16 see ‎עֲבָרָה‎
c. Jordan-valley east of river 2Sam 4:7.

2. in D:
a. especially of east Jordan plain Deut 1:1 (probably) Josh 12:1; Josh 12:3, east half of Jordan-valley Deut 3:17; Deut 4:49 of entire Jordan-valley (between ‎כִּנֶּרֶת‎ and Dead Sea, modern El-Ghôr, the Depression) Deut 1:7; Josh 11:2; Josh 11:16 west Jordan plain only Josh 12:8 depression south of Dead Sea (modern Wady el-`Arabah) Deut 2:8.

3. in P always plural construct ‎עַרְבוֺת מוֺאָב‎ (east Jordan) Num 22:1 + 11 t. (see ‎מוֺאָב‎); ‎עְרֵחוֺ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ (West Jordan) Josh 4:13; Josh 5:10, also 2Kgs 25:5 = Jer 39:5 = Jer 52:8.

4. apparently North Arabian desert Isa 40:3; Isa 41:19.

5. in general the steppe (often || ‎מִדְבָּר‎), Jer 17:6; Jer 50:12; Isa 33:9; Isa 35:1; Isa 35:6; Job 24:5; Job 39:6; Ps 68:5* ‎זְאֵב עֲרָבוֺת‎ Jer 5:6 (figurative of invader); compare description of Exodus ‎אֶרֶץ עֲרָבָה‎ ‎וְשׁוּחָה‎ Jer 2:6 in simile, of a plain, of future land of Judah Zech 14:10. — See Dr^{Deut 1:1 and references} Buhl^{Geogr. 111}.

‎עַרְבָתִי‎ see ‎בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה‎

Brown-Driver-Briggs References