En-ge'di [manj' En'-yedi, some En-ged'i'\ (Heb. Eyn Gedi,', "ilw "f'", fountain of ih& kid; Sept. in Josh, 'ilvyac^i v. r. 'AyKaOi'ig, in Sam. 'Ei^yacci, in Chron. and Cant. 'EvyacSn v. r. 'lyyacci and tv Fad- (i(, in Ezek. 'Evyaoctiv v. r. 'ivyactiv, Apocr. Exgad- Di ; Josephus 'Eyya^^i ; Ptolemy 'EyyaCai, v, 16, 8 ; Stephanus Byz. 'Eyyadd, p. 333; Eusebius 'UyyaSoi, Onomast. s. v. ; Pliny, Engadd, Hist. Nat. v. 17), a town in the wilderness of Judah (.Josh, xv, 62), on the western shore of the Dead Sea (Ezek. xlvii, 10), which gave its name to a part of the desert whither David withdrew for fear of Saul (Josh, xv, G2 ; 1 Sam. xxiv, 1-4). Its more ancient name was Hazezox-tamar (q. v.), and by that name it is mentioned before the destruction of Sodom, as being inhabited bj' the Amo- rites, and near the cities of the plain (Gen. xiv, 7) ; a title ("the pruning of the palm") doubtless derived from the palm-groves that surrounded it (Ecclus. xxiv, 14). It was immediately after an assault upon the " Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar," that the five Meso|)otamian kings were attacked by the rulers of the plain of Sodom (Gen. xiv, 7; comp. 2 Chron. XX, 2). Saul was told that David was in the "wil- derness of En-gedi;" and he took "3000 men, and wont to seek David and liis men npon the rocks of the tvild goats" (1 Sam. xxiv, 1-"^). These animals still frequent the cliffs above and around the fountain ; the Arabs call them L'eden. At a later period En-gedi was the gathering-place of the Moabites and Ammon- ites who went up against Jerusalem, and fell in the valley of Berachah (2 Chron. xx, 2). It is remarka- ble that this is the usual route taken in the present da}' bj- such jjredatorj' l)ands from D.Ioab as make in- cursions into Southern Palestine. They pass round the southern end of the Dead Sea, then up the road along its western shore to the pass at Ain-Jidy ("the ascent by the cliff" Ziz," 2 Chron. xx, 10), and thence toward Hebron, Tekoa, or Jerusalem, as the prospects of plunder seem most inviting. The vineyards of En- gedi were celebrated by Solomon (Cant, i, 14); its bal- sam by Josephus {Ant. ix, 1, 2). Stephanus of By- zantium places it near Sodom ; Jerome at the south end of the Dead Sea {Comm. in Ezek. xlvii); but Jose- phus more correctly upon the Lake Asphaltites, at the distance of 300 stadia from Jerusalem {Ant. ix, 1, 2; comp. xvi, 1.3, 4 ; War, iii, 3, 5). In the time of Euse- bius and Jerome, En-gedi was still a large village on the shore of tiie Dead Sea, but it must have been abandoned verj' soon afterwards, for there is no sub.se- quent reference to it in history, nor are there any traces of recent habitation (Porter's Handbook, p. 242). There is a curious reference to it in Mandeville {Early Truv. p. 179), who says that the district between Jeri- cho and the Dead Sea is " the land of Dengadda" (Fr. d'Engadda), and that the balm-trees were " still called vines of Gady." En-gedi has always, until recently, been sought at the north end of the Dead Sea (Peland, Palivst. p. 449); but in 1805 Seetzen recognised the ancient name in the Ain-Jidy of the Arabs, and lays it down in liis map at a point of the western shore nc;u-ly equidistant from both extremities of the lake. This spot was visited by Dr. Robinson, and he con- firms the idcMitification {Researches, ii, 209-21(0. The. site lies among" the mountains, a considerable way down the descent to the shore. Here is a rich plain, half a mile square, sloping very gently from the base
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of the tnor.ntr.ins to the water, and shut in on the nortli by a lofty promonton'. About a mile up the western acclivity, and at an elevation of some 400 feet above the plain, is the fountain of Ain-Jidy, bursting forth at once in a fine stream upon a sort of narrow terrace or shelf of the mountain, having an al)rupt mar- gin towards the lake. The water is sweet, but warm, and strongly impregnated with lime. The stream rushes down the steep descent of the mountain below, and its course is hidden by a luxuriant thicket of trees and shrubs belonging to a more southern clime. Near this fountain are the remains of several buildings, ap- parently ancient, although the main site of the town seems to have been farther below. The whole of the descent below seems to have been once terraced for tillage and gardens, and near the foot are the ruins of a town, exhibiting nothing of particular interest, and built mostl}' of unhewn stones. This we may con- clude was the town which took its name from the fountain. On reaching tlie plain, the brook crosses it in nearly a straight Hue to tiie sea. During a great part of the year it is absorbed in the thirsty soil. Its banks are now cultivated by a few families of Arabs, who generallj' pitch their tents near this spot. The soil is exceedingly fertile, and in such a climate it might be made to produce the rarest fruits of tropical climes ; but vinej'ards no longer clothe the mountain- side, and neither palm-tree nor balsam is seen on the plain.