Joshua 15:62

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

Joshua 15:1

15:1 The land allotted to the tribe of Judah by its clans reached to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin in the Negev far to the south. ¹ 

Joshua 23:1

Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful

23:1 A long time ²  passed after the Lord made Israel secure from all their enemies, ³  and Joshua was very old. ⁴ 

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 

[15:1]  ¹ tn Heb “The lot was to the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin toward the south, southward.”

[23:1]  ² tn Heb “many days.”

[23:1]  ³ tn Heb “the Lord had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around.”

[23:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days.” This expression, referring to advancing in years, also occurs in the following verse.

[1:14]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.