Wilderness of Zin;Big & Little Craters

During Passover weekend in April, a few of us took a quick day trip from Jerusalem to the Negev to see the Big Crater and the Little Craters. Both the Big and Little Craters are Israeli National Parks specializing in jeep tours and hiking. We would just be driving today. When you see a road sign like this, you know you are in the desert.

Obvious reason for the sign. Notice that some of the camels are hobbled apparently to keep them from running?

They did not let us get too close. The closer we came to them the more they moved. It was a camel trick to lure us into the desert. Zoom in and you will see sheep beyond the camels. There was not a lot to eat for either one of them. During Moses 40 years of preparation before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was shepherd in the deseert. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Exodus 3:1.

These two young Beduin shepherds rode up to us on their donkeys. None of us spoke a common language but they did motion to see if we had a cigarette. We didn't. If I had one, it would be ok. There's no chance of forest fires out here.

Road sign to Be'er Sheva, home for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at different periods of their lives. Before going to Eqypt, Jacob and all descendants left from Be'er Sheva (Beersheba). Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. Genesis 46:5-7.

Modern Be'er Sheva on the north side of town.

Not a lot of traffic on a holiday weekend, so I stopped the car and took this photo.

Outside of Be'er Sheva, we drove southeast for awhile into the Biblical Wilderness of Zin. Before the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, God Almighty told Moses that the southern border would be somewhere around here. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Your southern border shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom; then your southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea; Numbers 34:1-3. Our drive today is going to take us east to Dead Sea (Salt Sea) and then we will head north to Jericho and then back west to Jerusalem.

The Big Crater received it's name because it was larger than a second nearby crater known as the Little Crater. Simple enough. Both were named before the Ramon Crater was discovered. The Ramon Crater, further south of here, is the largest crater in the world (see previous posting). Apparently they did not want to change the name.

Jeep tour with 4 x 4 vehicles just ahead of us.

In the distance, we could see the terrain changing.

The Big Crater is a beautiful contrast to all the sand in the desert.

Many roads were designed strictly for 4 x 4's. To use the word "ascent" in the description is Biblical. ... your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continue to Zin, and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea; Numbers 34:4.

We hiked down the trail to see the "Petrified Trees", which I would call rocks.

Layers of colors in the sandstone rocks.

A desert rock like this one could be similar to one that Moses was instructed to strike by the Lord in order to bring forth water. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." Exodus 17:6.

Our "ascent" back to the car.

Driving out of the Big Crater. Moses sister, Miriam, may be buried around here somewhere. Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. Numbers 20:1.

The desert is a good place for the Israeli Defense Force to practice.

Our turnoff for the Small Crater must have been close to the southern border of the Tribe of Judah. So this was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families: The border of Edom at the Wilderness of Zin southward was the extreme southern boundary. And their southern border began at the shore of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward. Then it went out to the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim, passed along to Zin, ... Joshua 15:1-3.

Our drive into the Little Crater.

Descent into the Little Crater.

The Little Crater is smaller than the Big Crater which is not as large as the Ramon Crater.

As we turned north to the Dead Sea, you can see the white "salt" in the landscape. No wonder it is also known as the Salt Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah are in the proximity. There was a turnoff on the highway to see a large pillar of salt known as Lot's Wife. However, today, I drove past it and will include it on another future trip. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:24-26.

Someday I also have to drive down this road just to see if there is another sign pointing back to the way you just drove? Or perhaps there is something there that does not have a name?

We stopped for late, late lunch (almost dinner) at Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea.

There were a lot of Israelis enjoying the Passover Holiday at the Dead Sea. In one day's drive from Jerusalem, we passed through where David slew Goliath; where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent much of their lives; drove through the southern border of Judah; Sodom and Gomorrah; the Dead Sea; turned at Jericho where the Israelites first came into the land; and still made it back to Jerusalem by the early evening. Only in Israel. The land of the Bible.