What does עֲרָבָה (ʿărābāh) mean in the Bible?
עֲרָבָה (ʿărābāh): Arid wilderness or valley, especially the Jordan rift—place of Israel's wilderness wandering and testing.
Hebrew · H6160
עֲרָבָה
A desert ; especially (with the article prefix) the (generally) sterile valley of the Jordan and its continuation to the Red Sea
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עֲרָבָה H6160
Pronunciation ʿărābāh
What does עֲרָבָה (ʿărābāh) mean in the Bible?
עֲרָבָה (ʿărābāh): Arid wilderness or valley, especially the Jordan rift—place of Israel's wilderness wandering and testing.
Full entry for עֲרָבָה (H6160) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6160?
The BSB source-word alignment has 60 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the Arabah (8), of the Arabah (7), on the plains (7), in the Arabah (6), in the plains (5).
Where does עֲרָבָה (ʿărābāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Numbers 22:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Joshua (13), Deuteronomy (10), Jeremiah (9), Numbers (9).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It the Arabah 8× Deuteronomy 4:49, Joshua 8:14, Joshua 11:16, Joshua 12:1
of the Arabah 7× Deuteronomy 3:17, Deuteronomy 4:49, Joshua 3:16, Joshua 12:3
on the plains 7× Numbers 26:63, Numbers 33:48, Numbers 33:50, Numbers 35:1
in the Arabah 6× Deuteronomy 1:1, Deuteronomy 1:7, Deuteronomy 3:17, Deuteronomy 11:30
in the plains 5× Numbers 22:1, Deuteronomy 34:8, 2 Kings 25:5, Jeremiah 39:5
in the desert 4× Isaiah 35:6, Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 41:19, Jeremiah 17:6
the plains 2× Numbers 31:12, Joshua 4:13
and a desert 1× Jeremiah 50:12
and arid 1× Jeremiah 51:43
and her desert 1× Isaiah 51:3
And there on the plains 1× Numbers 33:49
as well as the Arabah 1× Joshua 12:3
at the fords 1× 2 Samuel 17:16
Beth-arabah 1× Joshua 18:18
from the Arabah 1× Deuteronomy 2:8
from the desert 1× Jeremiah 5:6
from the plains 1× Deuteronomy 34:1
into a plain 1× Zechariah 14:10
into the valley 1× Joshua 18:18
like a desert 1× Isaiah 33:9
of deserts 1× Jeremiah 2:6
on the clouds 1× Psalms 68:4
So on the plains 1× Numbers 26:3
the desert 1× Isaiah 35:1
the wasteland 1× Job 24:5
the wilderness 1× Job 39:6
through the Arabah 1× 2 Samuel 2:29
to the Arabah 1× Jeremiah 39:4
Show sample aligned rows
Numbers 22:1 בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת to in the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 26:3 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to So on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 26:63 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 31:12 עַֽרְבֹ֣ת to the plains Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 33:48 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 33:49 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֖ת to And there on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 33:50 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to On the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 35:1 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 36:13 בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת to on the plains Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct Deuteronomy 1:1 בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ to in the Arabah Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Numbers 22:1
Aligned rows 60
Books represented 13
Numbers 9 Deuteronomy 10 Joshua 13 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 3 2 Kings 3 Job 2 Psalms 1 Isaiah 6 Jeremiah 9 Ezekiel 1 Amos 1 Zechariah 1
Source forms
בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת 7x bə·‘ar·ḇōṯ Numbers 26:3, Numbers 26:63, Numbers 33:48, Numbers 33:50
בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת 4x bə·‘ar·ḇō·wṯ Numbers 22:1, Joshua 13:32, 2 Samuel 17:16, Jeremiah 39:5
הָעֲרָבָ֑ה 3x hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh Deuteronomy 4:49, Joshua 11:16, 2 Kings 14:25
הָעֲרָבָֽה׃ 3x hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh 2 Kings 25:4, Jeremiah 39:4, Jeremiah 52:7
בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה 2x bā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh 1 Samuel 23:24, Isaiah 40:3
בָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה 2x bā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh 2 Samuel 2:29, Jeremiah 17:6
הָֽעֲרָבָ֑ה 2x hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh Joshua 8:14, Ezekiel 47:8
הָעֲרָבָ֖ה 2x hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh Joshua 12:1, 2 Samuel 4:7
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - feminine singular 17x Deuteronomy 2:8, Deuteronomy 3:17, Deuteronomy 4:49, Joshua 3:16
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct 15x Numbers 22:1, Numbers 26:3, Numbers 26:63, Numbers 33:48
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular 9x Deuteronomy 1:1, Deuteronomy 1:7, Deuteronomy 11:30, 1 Samuel 23:24
Noun - feminine singular 4x Job 24:5, Job 39:6, Isaiah 35:1, Jeremiah 2:6
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 2x Jeremiah 50:12, Jeremiah 51:43
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular 2x Deuteronomy 3:17, Joshua 12:3
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular 2x Joshua 11:2, Joshua 12:8
Noun - feminine plural construct 2x Numbers 31:12, Joshua 4:13
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Arid wilderness or valley, especially the Jordan rift—place of Israel's wilderness wandering and testing.
Source Gloss
a desert ; especially (with the article prefix) the (generally) sterile valley of the Jordan and its continuation to the Red Sea
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Arid wilderness or valley, especially the Jordan rift—place of Israel's wilderness wandering and testing.
a desert; especially (with the article prefix) the (generally) sterile valley of the Jordan and its continuation to the Red Sea BDB: desert-plain Usage: Arabah, champaign, desert, evening, heaven, plain, wilderness. See also 1026.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
עֲרָבָה is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain