H4057 מִדְבָּר midbâr → Derivative
9 languagesDerivative of root דבר — canonical: H1696 דָבַר (15 family members).
An uninhabited or sparsely inhabited region characterized by open space, wildness, and a lack of settled agriculture; most commonly, a steppe, wilderness, or desert, understood in the context of the ancient southern Levant not primarily as barren sand, but as pastureland suitable for seasonal grazing. In some contexts, 'midbâr' may refer more broadly to any non-cultivated open country or wild territory. Rarely, it occurs in the sense of a place of retreat or isolation.
Etymology
From the root דבר (DBR), 'to speak' or perhaps more fundamentally 'to arrange' or 'lead.' The noun מִדְבָּר is derived with the prefix מ- (indicating location or means) attached to the root. While traditional lexicography associates the form with the verb 'to drive' or 'to lead,' the precise etymological connection between 'speech' and 'wilderness' is debated. Most likely, the root sense is 'arrange, lead,' with the derived noun referring to a place where herds are 'led' or 'driven.' Thus, מִדְבָּר most directly means 'place led into' or 'grazing land.'
| Language | Word | Meaning | Segmentation | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chokwe | mufinda | forest, bush | ||
| Kimbundu | mfinda | bush, uncultivated land | ||
| Kongo | Mfinda | wilderness, forest, bush, uninhabited place | ||
| Luba | difinda | bush area | ||
| Mbala | mfinda | countryside | ||
| Pende | mufinda | forest | ||
| Suku | mfinda | bush | ||
| Umbundu | omufinda | wilderness | ||
| Yaka | mfinda | wilderness |