The Negev is the vast desert region stretching across southern Judah, between the fertile lands of Canaan and the border with Egypt.
It was through there that Abram passed on entering Canaan and on returning from Egypt, and where Isaac lived before meeting Rebekah.
Later, the spies sent by Moses crossed the Negev to explore the land God had promised to Israel, and the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived there, attacked the Israelites as they passed by.
After the conquest, the region was divided among the southern tribes, and there Caleb gave his daughter Achsah land and springs of water. Centuries later, the Amalekites attacked the Negev and the town of Ziklag, where David was living as a fugitive from Saul.
Despite its dryness, the Negev also becomes an image of hope in the Bible: the psalmist asks God to restore his people like the streams that flow again there after the rain, turning dry land into new life.
