A green dream in the desert

Ein Gedi, a garden on the Dead Sea's western coast, appears early and often in the Bible.

Ein Gedi, a garden on the Dead Sea's western coast, must have caused many starving and parched travelers to rub their eyes, wondering if their minds were playing tricks on them.

Surrounded by barren desert cliffs and the foreboding Dead Sea, Ein Gedi is a 25-square kilometer garden 400 meters below sea level — among the earth’s lowest spots. The oasis is supported by four springs which flow underground from the well-watered Hebron area, supplying about three million cubic meters of fresh water annually.

The desert sun and ample water result in a plant and wildlife sanctuary as well as an historical haven for refugees such as David, the Israelite king in waiting.

Ein Gedi appears early and often in the Bible. Its first mention is in Genesis 14:7 as a staging ground for ancient kings. The last reference is in Ezekiel’s prophecy of the last days, when so much fresh water will flow from the Temple in Jerusalem that fishermen will cast nets at Ein Gedi into the previously sterile Dead Sea.

In the Genesis account the site was called just hazazon tamar (’pruning of the dates’), but the name is clarified later as Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, is warned in 2 Chronicles 20:2: ’A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in hazazon tamar (that is, En Gedi).’

In that account the oasis supported an allied army of Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites — three peoples east of the Dead Sea and Jordan River who had been incited by the Syrians to war against Judah. The fact that the allies camped at Ein Gedi suggests that the water, vegetation and wildlife there provided ample support for large armies as they planned their incursion.

The encampment at Ein Gedi had advantages in addition to serving as a staging ground for invaders — it had access to Patriarch’s Road, which connected Hebron, Jerusalem, Bethel and Shechem.

Shiela Gyllenberg, instructor in biblical geography at Israel College of the Bible, explains: ’The Ascent of Ziz mentioned in 2 Chronicles 20É leads directly from Ein Gedi to the Tekoa Ridge, and from there on to Jerusalem. Because of the difficulty of the ascent, it was certainly not the preferred way to access the Patriarch’s Road.’

’But in the case of the Moabites and their allies, using it saved dozens of kilometers of marching through wilderness around the south end of the Dead Sea, and was preferable to marching around the north end, where they would have needed to attack Jerusalem from the more expected road out of Jericho.’

Many scholars suggest this road southeast of Tekoa, which would be the escape route of other armies such as the Macabbees and, later, Herod’s forces, was the route which the ’wise men from the East’ used to leave Bethlehem when they ’departed to their own country another way,’ after being warned of Herod’s trickery (Matthew 2).

Ein Gedi is best known for providing sanctuary for David as he fled from Saul. Gyllenberg admits ’it’s intriguing to think that David, who was raised in Bethlehem on the edge of the Judean wilderness, might have visited Ein Gedi with his childhood friends.’ Still, she admits, David had been busy shepherding since he was very young and likely hadn’t explored this distant and foreboding area.

This helps us understand ’David’s total need to depend on the Lord, as he looked for water sources and refuge for those that had linked their fate to his, not to mention having to procure food for them in inhospitable terrain. Although we often picture David and his men lounging by the pools, the scriptures actually suggest the main drama took place up in the ’strongholds’ (high rocky crags) of the surrounding area.’

Regardless of how well he knew the environs of the oasis, David grasped its strategic importance. Previously he had sought refuge southeast of Hebron in rough pastureland, but had almost been caught when the locals betrayed him. Consequently ’David has few options and decides to head further east to the wilderness of Ein Gedi. Here the landscape becomes even more formidable... with steep canyons and craggy outcrops dotted with nearly inaccessible caves, which give hiders an advantage over seekers,’ Gyllenberg posits.

The stratagem paid off. David came upon the unaware Saul in a cave and had an opportunity to kill him. Dependent on the Lord’s provision in the desert, David exercises the same faith in showing restraint and waiting to receive his kingship. When Saul learned of his close call in the cave, 1 Samuel 24 records him admitting to David: ’You are more righteous than I.’

Ein Gedi’s last mention in Scripture is a prophecy in Ezekiel 47 that someday fishermen would line its shore along the Dead Sea whose present high salt content forbids plant and fish life (although a few bacteria survive). Before any readers decide to open an Ein Gedi Bait Shop, it should be noted that the fulfillment of this verse seems to be in the Millennium, as it corresponds to Revelation 22 (with its river of water of life, and trees producing fruit every month).

’The Dead Sea is about nine times saltier than the Mediterranean, and runs about 67 kilometers north and south and 18 kilometers across at its widest point. At its deepest point it is about 330 meters deep. With that in mind, calculate the quantity of fresh water that would need to flow out from under the altar of the Temple [according to Ezekiel’s prophecy] and down through the split in the Mount of Olives to fill the Dead Sea in order to cause the Dead Sea to become a body of fresh water,’ Gyllenberg explains.

She concludes, ’This scenario is well outside of any naturally explainable phenomena, and seems to belong to a new order along the lines of that described in Revelation 22.’

The wildlife of Ein Gedi, which means ’spring of the wild goat,’ has often been used in biblical poetry to illustrate beauty or God’s provision for his creatures. ’The hills are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers’ — two of Ein Gedi’s most observed animals. The rock badger, or coney, is listed by Solomon as one of the ’four things on earth that are small but extremely wise’ in Proverbs 30. ’They are creatures of little power but make their homes in the crags.’

Gyllenberg asks, ’What is the picture here? Of a creature too weak to move even a small rock... yet the Lord provides a mighty fortress of protection from the blazing sun. In what does their wisdom consist? They simply use and enjoy what the Lord has provided.’

One might also ask ’How should Ein Gedi be pictured?’ A historian might color it fickle — a garden spot against a backdrop of desert cliffs, it offered refuge to Israel’s future king as well as a possible escape path to wise men who visited the ’newborn king.’ But its fresh waters, vegetation and wildlife also provided a staging ground for Judah’s enemies before the Lord confounded them, causing them to destroy each other.

Or one might strike a parallel between the oasis and its short-term resident, David. Each offered protection for those for whom it was responsible, patiently awaiting the next divinely appointed task.