Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<tladatsi AT charter.net>]

Hello,

I have a question.  Is there a difference in meaning 
between MDBR (Midbar) and YSYMWN (Yeshimon)?  At least one 
lexicon indicates that MDBR is a savannah / grasslands 
suitable for grazing while while YSYMWN is a desolate 
desert.  However, in practice the two seem to be used 
interchangeably (Obviously, there is a town named Yeshimon 
in Judea but let's ignore that for this discussion).  They 
are both often used to describe the same location (e.g. 
Sinai) and have been translated into English using the same 
words (wilderness, wasteland, desert).  How much overlap in 
their semantic domaine is there between these two words?

Jack Tladatsi