1 Samuel 24:1

David Spares Saul’s Life

24:1 (24:2) When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, “Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi.”

Genesis 14:7

14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ¹  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

Joshua 15:62

15:62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi – a total of six cities and their towns.

Joshua 15:2

15:2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea, ² 

Joshua 20:2

20:2 “Have the Israelites select ³  the cities of refuge ⁴  that I told you about through Moses.

The Song of Songs 1:14

1:14 My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms ⁵ 

in the vineyards of En-Gedi. ⁶ 

Ezekiel 47:10

47:10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. ⁷ 

[14:7]  ¹ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”

[20:2]  ¹ tn Heb “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘Set aside for yourselves.’”

[20:2]  ² tn Or “asylum.”

[1:14]  ¹ sn The henna plant (כֹּפֶר, kofer, “henna”; HALOT 495 s.v. III כֹּפֶר) is an inflorescent shrub with upward pointing blossoms, that have sweet smelling whitish flowers that grow in thick clusters (Song 4:13; 7:12). Like myrrh, the henna plant was used to make sweet smelling perfume. Its flowers were used to dye hair, nails, fingers, and toes orange.

[1:14]  ² sn En-Gedi is a lush oasis in the midst of the desert wilderness on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea. The surrounding region is hot and bleak; its dry sands extend monotonously for miles. The Dead Sea region is a salty desert covered with a dusty haze and characterized by almost unbearable heat during most of the year. The lush oasis of En-Gedi is the only sign of greenery or life for miles around. It stands out as a surprising contrast to the bleak, dry desert wilderness around it. In the midst of this bleak desert wilderness is the lush oasis in which indescribable beauty is found. The lush oasis and waterfall brings welcome relief and refreshment to the weary desert traveler.

[47:10]  ¹ sn The Great Sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea (also in vv. 15, 19, 20).