Plain

Plains in Scripture include several distinct geographical features: the Jordan Valley plain visible from Lot's vantage point, which he chose for its fertility; the plain of Mamre associated with Abraham's encampment near Hebron; the plains of Moab where Israel camped before crossing into Canaan; and the plain of Esdraelon (Jezreel Valley). The Hebrew terms include kikkar (disk, circle — used of the Jordan plain), biqah (valley floor or broad valley), mishor (level ground, plateau), and arabah (the desert valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea region). Each term reflects a different topographical reality, and careful reading of biblical geography requires attention to which type of "plain" is intended.