Song of Solomon 1:14

Engedi, also called Hazazon-tamar (2 Chronicles 20:2 ), was inhabited by Amorites in the time of Abraham and was subjugated by Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:7 ). In the tribal allotments, it was given to Judah and was in the district of Judah known as the wilderness district (Joshua 15:62 ). When David was fleeing from Saul, he hid in the area of Engedi (1 Samuel 23:29 ). Saul was in a cave near Engedi when David cut off a piece of his robe but spared his life (1 Samuel 24:1 ). During the reign of Jehoshaphat, Moabites, Ammonites, and others gathered at Engedi to attack Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-2 ).

Recent excavations at Engedi have uncovered a fortress belonging to the period of the monarchy, a workshop used in producing perfumes, and a sanctuary belonging to the Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age.

Joel F. Drinkard, Jr.