Shur
Shur was a wilderness area between Canaan and Egypt, mentioned in connection with Hagar (Genesis 16:7), Abraham (Genesis 20:1; 25:18), the Israelites' wanderings (Exodus 15:22), and Saul's battles.
The name Shur means “wall; ox; that beholds”
PlaceOld Testament3 books6 verses
Summary
A location first mentioned at Genesis 16:7; only referred to as Shur (שׁוּר).
Location
- Identified as
- region around Ar Ruwaysat
- Certainty
- Possible (55% of scholarship) · 2 other possible locations
- Coordinates
- 30.493° N, 32.957° E
Events
Dates are approximate
- Wilderness Wanderingsc. 1491 BC
Glossary entries
Alternative names
- שׁוּרShur
Mentions
- Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.
- Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,
- Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
- Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water.
- Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
- Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)