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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

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ZIN, Wilderness of

Area lying in the northern portion of the Sinai Peninsula, while the wilderness of Sin lies in the southern portion. It is one of the four or five “wildernesses” of the Sinai Peninsula, the others being the wilderness of Paran (Gn 21:21), the wilderness of Shur (Ex 15:22), and the wilderness of Sinai (Nm 9:1) and the wilderness of Sin (Nm 33:11). These areas are not clearly defined, and there is probably some overlap.

The area identified as the wilderness of Zin is associated with the village of Zin (Nm 34:4). The wilderness was west of Edom, southwest of the Dead Sea, and south of Judah. Within this arid area were four copious springs or oases, including Kadesh-barnea. Most of the 38 years the Israelites spent in the Sinai Desert were spent in this area. From the wilderness of Zin the spies were dispatched to spy out the land of Canaan (Nm 13:1-26; 32:8). Here also the rebels were sentenced to die because of their unbelief (14:22-23). Moses sinned by failing to give God the credit for bringing water out of the rock (20:1-13; 27:14), and Miriam, his sister, died and was buried here (20:1). This area was remembered as the “great and terrible wilderness” (Dt 1:19; 8:15).

See also Wilderness Wanderings.