paran Summary and Overview

abounding in foliage, or abounding in caverns, (Gen. 21:21), a desert tract forming the NEern division of the peninsula of Sinai, lying between the 'Arabah on the east and the wilderness of Shur on the west. It is intersected in a north-western direction by the Wady el-'Arish. It bears the modern name of Badiet et-Tih, i.e., "the desert of the wanderings." This district, through which the children of Israel wandered, lay three days' march from Sinai (Num. 10:12, 33). From Kadesh, in this wilderness, spies (q.v.) were sent to spy the land (13:3, 26). Here, long afterwards, David found refuge from Saul (1 Sam. 25:1, 4).

PA'RAN (place of caverns), a wilderness or desert region west of the Elanitic Gulf, and within the Sinaitic peninsula. It was bounded on the north by the wilderness of Shur and the land of Canaan; on the east by the great valley of the Arabah - which separated it from the mountains of Moab - and the Gulf of Akabah; on the south by a great sand-belt, separating it from the granitic mountains of Sinai; and on the west by the wilderness of Etham, which separated it from the Gulf of Suez and from Egypt. A range of mountains sweeps around this wilderness on all sides except the north. It is a high limestone plateau, crossed by low ranges of hills and intersected by few watercourses, always dry except in the rainy season. In this blanched and dreary waste of chalk, covered with coarse gravel, black flint, and drifting sand, upon which a slight coating of vegetation struggles for existence, the Israelites spent thirty eight years after leaving Sinai. Num 10:12. The modern name, Badiet et Tih , or "desert of the wandering," commemorates this historic fact. Across this desert lay the road from Canaan to Egypt which was travelled by Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. The north-east corner of the wilderness is a hilly plateau, the home and pasture-ground of the patriarchs, the Negeb, or "south country," of Scripture. Scripture History. - Paran is first mentioned in connection with the conquest of the confederate kings, when it appears to have been the home of the Horites. Gen 14:6. Hagar and Ishmael, after being driven away by Abraham, went into the wilderness of Paran, Gen 21:21; the Israelites entered it soon after leaving Sinai, Num 10:12, 1 Sam 15:33; Josh 11:3, Num 11:34-35; Neh 12:16; the spies were sent up to Canaan and returned from this region:and eighteen stations of the Israelites' journev are noted in this wilderness. Num 13:3, Acts 11:26; Num 33:17-36; comp. Deut 1:1. Probably, during their thirty eight years of sojourn in the wilderness, the people were scattered over a wide extent of territory, like the modern Bedouin tribes. David found refuge in this wilderness, 1 Sam 26:1, and Hadad passed through it when escaping to Egypt. 1 Kgs 11:18.

EL PARAN. The Et Tih ("the wanderings") desert, N. of the wilderness of Sinai. Israel passed from the latter into Paran on their way N. toward Kadesh. frontKADESH.) (Numbers 10:12; Numbers 13:26). Paran comprises one third of the peninsula which lies between Egypt and Canaan, the eastern half of the limestone plateau which forms the center of the peninsula. Bounded on the N. by southern Canaan; on the W. by the brook or river of Egypt, parting it from Shur wilderness, the other half of the plateau; on the S. by the great sand belt sweeping across the peninsula in a concave northward line from gulf to gulf, and forming the demarcation between it and Sinai; on the E. by the northern part of the Elanitic gulf, and the Arabah dividing it from the Edom mountains. The Zin (not Sin) wilderness, Canaan's (Numbers 34:3) immediate boundary, was its N.E. extremity, from whence Kadesh is spoken of as in Zin wilderness or in Paran (Numbers 13:26; Numbers 20:1.) In 1 Samuel 25:1-2 the southern parts of Canaan are called Paran. The beautiful wady Feiran is probably distinct (Speaker's Commentary, Numbers 10:12). Phara, a Roman station between the heads of the two gulfs, takes its name from Paran. Paran is a dreary waste of chalk covered with coarse gravel, black flint, and drifting sand, crossed by watercourses and low horizontal hills. Not so wild looking as the Arabah, nor yet relieved by such fertile valleys as lie amidst the granite mountains of Sinai. Vegetation would probably cover the level plains, which have red clay soil in parts, but for the reckless destruction of trees for charcoal, so that the winter rains run at once to waste. Ishmael's dwelling (Genesis 21:21; Genesis 21:14; compare Genesis 14:6). "Mount Paran" in Deuteronomy 33:2 is the range forming the northern boundary of the desert of Sinai. In Deuteronomy 1:1 Paran is either Mount Paran or a city mentioned, by Eusebius and Jerome near the mountain. The Paran of Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:18) lay to N.W. or the Egyptian side of Horeb, between Midian and Egypt. Capt. Burton has found extensive mineral districts in Midian, the northern Being little worked, the southern with many traces of ancient labor, shafting and tunneling. Silver and copper abound in northern, gold in southern, and turquoise in northern southern, and central Midian. How strikingly accurate are Scripture details! We should never have guessed that a nomadic people like the Midianites would have wrought mines; but research confirms fully the truth of Scripture, which represents them as having ornaments and tablets of gold, and chains for their camels' necks. The spoils from Midian (Numbers 31:50-53) included gold (of which was offered to Jehovah 16,750 shekels!), silver, brass, iron, tin, and lead. The gold taken by Gideon from them was so enormous as to suffice for making a golden ephod (Judges 8:24-27). The Haj route from Egypt by Elath to Mecca still runs through the Paran desert. Hadad would take that road to Egypt, "taking men with them out of Paran" as guides through the desert. Seir (Edom and Teman), Sinai, and Paran are comparatively adjacent, and therefore are associated together in God's giving the law (Habakkuk 3:3), as in Deuteronomy 33:2.