South

south: (1) neghebh, according BDB from [?] naghabh, meaning "to be dry," the word most often used, in the Revised Version (British and American) capitalized (South) in those places where it seems to denote a particular region, i.e. to the South of Judah. (2) yamin, "right hand," "right." The derived meaning, "south," seems to imply an eastern posture in prayer in which the right hand is toward the South; compare Arabic yamin, "right," and yemen, "Yemen," a region in Southwestern Arabia. (3) teman, from the same root as (2) is often used for the south; also for the south wind (Ps 78:26; Song 4:16). (4) yam, literally, "sea" (Ps 107:3). (5) darom, etymology doubtful (De 33:23; Eze 40:24). (6) midhbar, literally, "desert" (Ps 75:6, reading doubtful).

⇒See the definition of south in the KJV Dictionary

(7) lips, "south west wind" (Ac 27:12). (8) mesembria, literally, "mid-day"; "south" (Ac 8:26); "noon" (Ac 22:6). (9) notos, "south wind" (Lu 12:55; Ac 27:13; 28:13); "south" (1 Macc 3:57; Mt 12:42; Lu 11:31; 13:29; Re 21:13).

The south wind is often referred to: see Song 4:16; Job 37:9 (compare Job 9:9); Zec 9:14 (of Isa 21:1); Lu 12:55.

Of the passages where South (neghebh) clearly refers to a particular region between Palestine and Sinai see: "And Abraham journeyed, going on still toward the South" (neghbah) (Ge 12:9; 13:1; De 1:7). We read of "the South of the Jerahmeelites," "the South of the Kenites" (1Sa 27:10); "the South of the Cherethites," "the South of Caleb" (1Sa 30:14); "the South of Judah" (2Ch 28:18); "Ramoth of the South" (1Sa 30:27).

In Ps 126:4, "Turn again our captivity, O Yahweh, as the streams in the South," we have a figurative reference to the fact that, after a long period of drought, the dry watercourses are finally filled with rushing streams. The reference in Eze 20:46 f to "the forest of the South" is to a condition of things very different from that which exists today, though the region is not incapable of supporting trees if they are only planted and protected.

Alfred Ely Day