What Is A Wadi In The Bible? A Comprehensive Guide

Wadis, dry riverbeds that flow with water during the rainy season, are mentioned over 40 times in the Bible. If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: A wadi is a valley or ravine that is usually dry but fills with a rapid flood of water during the rainy seasons.

In this comprehensive guide, we will examine every mention of wadis in the Bible, analyzing the original Hebrew and Greek terms used. We will explore the geographic and climatic context of wadis in the Middle East and how this shaped biblical imagery using wadis.

Finally, we will synthesize the symbolic spiritual meanings behind biblical references to wadis.

Defining the Term “Wadi” in Hebrew and Greek

Hebrew Word Nachal for Wadi

In the Hebrew Bible, the most common word used for wadi is “nachal” which means stream or river valley. The word “nachal” occurs over 140 times and refers to valley streams that are dry for much of the year but flood during the rainy season.

These intermittent streams are characteristic of the arid climate of the Middle East. Examples include the numerous references to the “Nachal Arnon” or Arnon Valley which formed part of the border between Moab and the Amorites (Numbers 21:13).

Overall, “nachal” emphasizes the concept of a valley or ravine cut by an ephemeral streambed.

There are a few other less common Hebrew terms used for wadis and seasonal streams:

• “Yeor” refers to a canal or channel, especially man-made irrigation channels (Exodus 7:19). This term overlaps with “nachal” in also meaning streambed or riverbed.
• “Nahar” refers to more permanent rivers and streams, distinguished from seasonal wadis (Psalm 66:6).
• “Eshcol” meaning “cluster” refers to valley streams associated with vineyards, especially around Hebron where grapes were abundant (Numbers 13:23-24).

But the most frequent term for wadi in the Hebrew Bible is “nachal”, capturing the concept of ephemeral streambeds winding through valleys and ravines.

Greek Word Cheimarros for Wadi

In the Greek New Testament, the most common word used for wadi is “cheimarros”, meaning a storm flood or muddy flow. This comes from a combination of the words for “storm, tempest” (cheimon) and “flow” (rheo).

It refers to seasonal flash floods surging through otherwise dry streambeds and wadis in the rainy season.

There are 7 uses of “cheimarros” in the New Testament including:

• Matthew 7:25-27 where Jesus refers to flash floods rising in wadis near the end of the Sermon on the Mount
• Luke 6:48-49 also using wadi floods metaphorically in Jesus’ parable
• Revelation 12:15-16 describing the flood sent after the woman in John’s apocalyptic vision

The emphasis is on the sudden raging floodwaters pouring through these normally dry valleys, typical of the wadi systems around Jerusalem and the Judaean desert. Overall, the Greek term “cheimarros” vividly captures the concept of dangerous flash floods surging through the wadis in the rainy season, in contrast to being dry the rest of the year.

Geographic Context and Climate of Wadis in the Middle East

Sudden Flooding of Wadis After Rainfall

Wadis are dry riverbeds that are common landscape features in desert regions like the Middle East. They remain dry for much of the year but can experience sudden and dramatic flooding after rainfall. This is because rainfall in arid regions tends to be very sporadic but intense when it does occur.

The hard, baked ground cannot absorb water quickly, so rainfall rushes into wadi ravines, turning them into turbulent rivers in a matter of minutes.

For example, in 2018 a severe thunderstorm dropped 3 inches of rain over Petra, Jordan in just a few hours, causing dangerous flash flooding in the ancient city’s wadi. Thankfully warnings allowed tourists to evacuate in time, but the churning floodwaters still damaged walkways and swept away infrastructure (source).

These floods vividly demonstrate the risks associated with wadis in desert environments.

Wadis as Borders and Landmarks

Due to their scale and distinct topography, major wadis often serve as natural borders between regions and settlements. For instance, Wadi Araba forms a long section of the border between Israel/Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Settlements also clustered around wadis due to their water resources and availability of farming soil. As such, they became important landmarks and routes for trade and travel.

The Bible references wadis in this context of borders and transportation corridors. Numbers 13:23-24 describes the Spies entering the Promised Land via Wadi Eshcol, where they cut down a fruitful cluster of grapes. This wadi marked the border between the Wilderness of Zin and Hebron.

Isaiah 15:7 speaks of carrying treasures across the Wadi Willows on the Moab/Edom border. So wadis shaped both the geography and human activity of Biblical lands.

Symbolic Spiritual Meaning of Wadis in Biblical Imagery

Wadis Represent God’s Provision

In the Bible, wadis often symbolize God’s miraculous provision and blessings for His people. Though normally dry riverbeds, wadis can quickly fill with water after a rainstorm, allowing life to flourish in the desert.

Similarly, God can provide needed “water” or resources for His children even in dry spiritual seasons. For example, 1 Kings 17 describes how God commanded ravens to bring bread and meat twice a day to the prophet Elijah as he hid by a wadi during a drought.

This wadi became a means of sustenance and survival for Elijah despite the bleak conditions around him. Just as God caused the wadi to sustain Elijah, He provides strength and nourishment for believers’ souls when they feel spiritually parched.

As Psalm 23:2 declares, “He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

The book of Isaiah also uses wadi imagery to portray God’s abundant blessings. Isaiah 30:25 states, “On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.”

Though high places were typically dry, the prophet describes them gushing with streams, like wadis filled from heavy rain. This depicts how God’s Spirit will flow powerfully across the land, bringing spiritual renewal.

And in Isaiah 35:6, God promises, “Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” The context makes clear this refers to God miraculously refreshing and reviving His people both physically and spiritually.

Just as wadis provide essential water in desert regions, God saturates parched souls with His living water (John 4:10).

Wadis as Places of Refuge and Safety

In addition to representing God’s provision, wadis also provided shelter and refuge in biblical times. Their high rocky walls gave shade from the scorching sun and protection from enemies (Isaiah 16:1-4).

For example, when David was on the run from King Saul, he and his men hid in “strongholds” or the natural caves in the wadis of Ein Gedi (1 Samuel 23:29). The book of Hebrews also references believers who “wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:38).

Some scholars believe this refers to these wadi cave dwellings. Just as wadis gave physical refuge to God’s people in biblical times, God offers Himself as a safe spiritual shelter for believers today.

Deuteronomy 33:27 declares, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” And Psalm 46:1 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” No matter the storms of life, followers of Christ can take heart that He is their rock and hiding place (Psalm 18:2).

Every Biblical Mention of Wadis Analyzed in Context

1 Kings 17:3

In 1 Kings 17:3, the prophet Elijah is told by God to “hide in the Kerith Ravine“, which refers to a wadi called the Kerith Valley. This demonstrates that wadis in the Bible could function as places of refuge or shelter, likely due to the shade and seclusion they provided.

The Kerith Ravine is significant as the location God chose to sustain Elijah during a drought, perhaps because a wadi would have flowing water while other water sources dried up.

1 Kings 17:5

Later in 17:5, the wadi dries up from the lack of rain. This illustrates the ephemeral nature of wadis and their dependence on rain. When rain ceases, wadis become dry riverbeds. God uses this drying up to prompt Elijah to go to Zarephath where he miraculously provides food for Elijah and a widow through a jar of flour and jug of oil that never run out.

Job 6:15

In Job 6:15, Job compares his unreliable friends to wadis: “My brothers are as treacherous as a flood, and are like streams of the desert that go dry as dust”. This metaphor reveals that wadis were seen as capricious and unpredictable sources of supply that fail when needed most.

Just as wadis deceptively promise water but often run dry, Job accuses his friends of assuring aid but proving unreliable and useless instead.

Psalm 74:15

Psalm 74:15 expresses this dryness: “It was You who opened up springs and streams; You dried up perpetual flowing wadis“. God is praised for his absolute authority over wadis to make them flow or run dry according to His divine will. This demonstrates wadis were seen as at God’s mercy and control.

Isaiah 15:7

Isaiah 15:7 prophesies judgement on Moab saying, “So they carry their wealth and belongings over the Wadi of the Willows“. This wadi marked the boundary between Moab and Edom. We see wadis frequently used as natural boundary lines, probably because they were familiar landmarks.

Amos 6:14

Amos 6:14 foretells God afflicting Israel “from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of the Arabah“. This refers to an area spanning from Israel’s northern boundary to its southern boundary, demonstrating wadis as boundary markers. Here the wadi marks part of Judah’s southern frontier.

Mark 1:5

The New Testament even references a wadi, translated as “river” in Mark 1:5: “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

Most understand this area to refer to the Jordan Valley or the wadis flowing into the Jordan.

Conclusion

As we have seen, wadis are much more than dry riverbeds to the biblical authors. They saw wadis as God’s channels for provision, landmarks in the wilderness, borders of tribal lands, and symbols of the spiritual water and refreshment God supplies.

Hopefully this analysis has enriched your understanding of the 40+ biblical references to wadis, giving you a window into how the original audiences understood these unique landforms in the Middle East.