A very large country is embraced by this name, lying south, south-east, and east of Palestine. It was of old, as it is now by the natives, divided into three districts.
1. Arabia Proper, being the same as the ancient Arabia Felix, embraces the peninsula which extends southward to the Arabian Sea and northward to the desert.
2. Western Arabia, the same as the ancient Arabia Petra, embraces Sinai and the desert of Petra, extending from Egypt and the Red Sea to about Petra.
3. Northern Arabia, which joins Western Arabia and extends northward to the Euphrates (1 Kings 10:1515Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. (1 Kings 10:15); 2 Chron. 9:1414Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. (2 Chronicles 9:14); Isa. 21:1313The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. (Isaiah 21:13); Jer. 25:2424And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, (Jeremiah 25:24); Ezek. 27:2121Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. (Ezekiel 27:21); Gal. 1:1717Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. (Galatians 1:17); Gal. 4:2525For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Galatians 4:25)). See ARABIANS.