The province of Judea, as distinguished from Galilee and Samaria, included the territories of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Dan, Simeon, and part of Ephraim. Under the Romans it was a part of the province of Syria, and was governed by a procurator.
The wilderness of Judea is situated along the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to the east of Jerusalem. The word translated "wilderness" in the New Testament does not denote a place of boundless forests, entirely destitute of inhabitants; but a mountainous, rough, and thinly settled country, covered to some considerable extent with forests and rocks, and better suited for pasture than for tilling. John the Baptist preached repentance in the Judean wilderness (Matthew 3). Jesus was also tempted directly by the devil in the wilderness (Mark 1, Luke 4, Matthew 4).
Scriptural References: Matthew 3, 4 ; Mark 1; Luke 4 (KJV Bible)
Sources Used: Easton's Bible Dictionary; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary; Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible; John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible |
