Ein Gedi

Ein Gedi is a name composed of two Hebrew words: “Ein” meaning spring, and “Gedi” meaning kid or goat. So, Ein Gedi means “Spring of the Kid.” It is located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, with a dramatic elevation drop of over 600 meters from the Judean Desert (200m above sea level) down to the Dead Sea (418m below sea level). It is surrounded by sheer cliffs and has many caves. Ein Gedi was a town belonging to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:62) and served as an “entrance” or “gateway” to the mountains of Judah.

Ein Gedi was also known as Hazazon-tamar and was part of the Amorite territory during the time of Abraham (Genesis 14:7; 2 Chronicles 20:2). When David was fleeing from Saul, he sought refuge in the dry and desolate Judean wilderness, and Ein Gedi became his sanctuary. 1 Samuel 23:29 says, “David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Ein Gedi.” 1 Samuel 24:1 adds, “After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, ‘David is in the Desert of Ein Gedi.'” When David mentioned in his psalm, “You are my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 31:3), he was likely thinking of the rocks and strongholds where he hid in Ein Gedi.

While the surrounding wilderness is a dry and weary land, this oasis of Ein Gedi has many caves and springs, as well as two perennial streams. This provides rare conditions for a diverse range of plants (Song of Solomon 1:14), mountain goats (1 Samuel 23:2), rock hyraxes, and over two hundred species of birds to thrive near the Dead Sea. To this day, several springs flow from the cliffs with a generous water supply, nourishing fertile soil where many date palms, grapes, and various fragrant trees grow. Therefore, in addition to calling the area a “wilderness” and “strongholds,” the Old Testament also refers to it as the “Crags of the Wild Goats.” The poetic imagery of a lover being like a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Ein Gedi (Song of Solomon 1:14) is very evocative.

Due to its proximity to the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi never had a large population. In the New Testament era, it had about a thousand residents. In 1949, during the Israeli War of Independence, the army recaptured Ein Gedi by boat from the south. In 1956, a kibbutz named Ein Gedi was founded near the ruins, with only 390 residents at the time. Today, it is a popular tourist destination in Israel, with a youth hostel and a nature park. The kibbutz offers air-conditioned luxury rooms, a freshwater swimming pool, and sulfur hot springs. The prophet Ezekiel foretold that in the future new heaven and new earth, a river would flow out of the Jerusalem Temple, pouring southeast. The Dead Sea would become like the Mediterranean, and “fishermen will stand beside the sea from Ein Gedi to Ein Eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea” (Ezekiel 47:10).

  Edited and compiled based on the Chinese Union Version Bible and Comprehensive Biblical Interpretation.