South

The Hebrew word for the south in the geographical sense is Negeb, which designates the arid region stretching south of the Judean hills toward the Sinai Peninsula. The Negeb was the caravan corridor through which Abraham and later the patriarchs traveled between Canaan and Egypt (Gen. 12:9; 13:1; 46:1). It comprised a broad triangle of semi-desert, characterized by scattered wells, shallow wadis that flood seasonally, and terrain requiring specialized knowledge to traverse. The land was also known for its copper resources.

The expression "going toward the south" in the patriarchal narratives and in descriptions of military movements often means movement into or through the Negeb. The Negeb also figures in the settlement narratives as part of the inheritance of Judah and Simeon, and in the later monarchy it served as a defensive frontier zone. Modern archaeological work has revealed a dense network of Iron Age and later settlements throughout the Negeb, indicating more sustained habitation than the arid terrain might suggest.