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Engedi

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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Engel, Gàbor (Gabriel)

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A town in the wilderness of Judah (Joshua 15:62), on the western shore of the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:10). It was the hiding-place of David when he fled from Saul (1 Samuel 24:1,2). Engedi was celebrated for its vine-yards (Song of Solomon 1:14), for its balsam (Shab. 26a; Josephus, "Ant." 9:1, § 2), and for its palms (Pliny, "Historia, Naturalis," 5:17; see also Shab. 26a), whence it was called also "Hazazon-tamar" (the pruning of the palm-tree; 2 Chronicles 20:2). According to Josephus ("B. J." 3:3, § 5), Engediwas the center of a toparchy under the Romans; it was the chief seat of the Essenes, and in the fourth century it was still a large village (Eusebius, "Onomasticon," s.). It is identified with the modern 'Ain Jidi (see Robinson, "Biblical Researches," 2:209,211,214).