Negev, Negeb

NEGEV, NEGEB (nĕg'ĕv, Nĕg'ĕb, Heb. neghev, dry). The desert region lying to the south of Judea, and hence the term has acquired the double meaning of the “south” (usually so rendered in the kjv), because of its direction from Judah, and the “desert,” because of its aridity. It came to refer to a definite geographical region, as when we read concerning Abraham that he journeyed “into the south” (kjv; niv “to the Negev”) to Bethel (Gen.13.1). Num.13.22 represents the twelve spies as spying out the land by way of the Negev (kjv “south”). The Negev is the probable site of Debir, a city of Judah about twelve miles (twenty km.) SW of Hebron.