Zin Desert
Encyclopedia
The Wilderness of Zin/Desert of Zin is a geographic area mentioned by the Torah
as containing Kadesh-Barnea within it; and it is therefore also referred to as the "Wilderness of Kadesh". Most scholars, as well as traditional sources, consequently identify this wilderness as being part of the Arabah
.
Similarly named is the Wilderness of Sin
. Modern English translations make a distinction; but it is not easily evident from the LXX and the Vulgate
that, apart from a couple of instances, render both Hebrew ṣin and sîn as "Sin". The "Wilderness of Sin" is mentioned by the Bible as being adjacent to Mount Sinai
; some consider Sinai to refer to al-Madhbah
at Petra
, adjacent to the central Arabah, and it is thus eminently possible that the "Wilderness of Sin" and the "Wilderness of Zin" are actually the same place.
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
as containing Kadesh-Barnea within it; and it is therefore also referred to as the "Wilderness of Kadesh". Most scholars, as well as traditional sources, consequently identify this wilderness as being part of the Arabah
Arabah
The Arabah , also known as Aravah, is a section of the Great Rift Valley running in a north-south orientation between the southern end of the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea and continuing further south where it ends at the Gulf of Aqaba. It includes most of the border between Israel to the...
.
Similarly named is the Wilderness of Sin
Wilderness of Sin
The Wilderness of Sin/Desert of Sin is a geographic area mentioned by the Bible as lying between Elim and Mount Sinai. Sin does not refer to sinfulness, but is an untranslated word that would translate as the moon; biblical scholars suspect that the name Sin here refers to the semitic moon-deity...
. Modern English translations make a distinction; but it is not easily evident from the LXX and the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
that, apart from a couple of instances, render both Hebrew ṣin and sîn as "Sin". The "Wilderness of Sin" is mentioned by the Bible as being adjacent to Mount Sinai
Biblical Mount Sinai
The Biblical Mount Sinai is the mountain at which the Book of Exodus states that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God...
; some consider Sinai to refer to al-Madhbah
Al-Madhbah
Jebel al-Madhbah is a mountain at Petra, in present-day Jordan, which a number of scholars have proposed as the Biblical Mount Sinai, beginning with Ditlef Nielsen in 1927...
at Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
, adjacent to the central Arabah, and it is thus eminently possible that the "Wilderness of Sin" and the "Wilderness of Zin" are actually the same place.