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Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

We can see 'midbar' used in Genesis 27: 6 to mean speaking "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying"(KJV)... וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Sources

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Aron Dotan et. al., Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2001).

Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

We can see 'midbar' used in Genesis 27: 6 to mean speaking "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying"(KJV) "וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃"

Sources

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Aron Dotan et. al., Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2001).

Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

We can see 'midbar' used in Genesis 27: 6 to mean speaking "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying"(KJV)... וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Sources

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.

Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

We can see 'midbar' used in Genesis 27: 6 to mean speaking "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying"(KJV)... וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Sources

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Aron Dotan et. al., Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2001).

Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

Sources

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.

Midbar מִדְבָּר in the Hebrew means desert (wilderness or lonely place)(Botterweck, 8: 87 ff.). Dabar דָּבַר in Hebrew means to speak (2: 84 ff) and is a word which is theologically pregnant – it is oft used to express divine speech in the biblical text. You can see the word ‘dabar’ in the word ‘midbar’ though scholars tell us there is no etymological relationship between the two (2: 90). But taking hermeneutic liberties--poetic license if you will--it seems to me there is at least a semiotic connection if not theological. It is often in those “lonely places” that God chooses to speak to people.

We can see 'midbar' used in Genesis 27: 6 to mean speaking "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying"(KJV)... וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Sources

G. Johannes Botterweck, et. al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans’s Publishing Co, 1978).

Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).

Valerie Angenot, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, “Semiotics and Hermeneutics” edited by Melinda K. Hartwig (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 98-118.