Places & biblical world
Wilderness
Sparsely inhabited land that becomes a setting of testing, dependence, and encounter with God.
Also called · desert · desolate place
What it means
Biblical wilderness can include steppe and grazing country, not only a sea of sand.
Its scarcity exposes vulnerability, yet it can also provide refuge and a place where God guides or renews people.
How it appears in the Bible
Israel travels through the wilderness, John preaches there, and Jesus faces testing there.
Translation note
“Wilderness” and “desert” overlap in translations but do not always suggest identical terrain.