Much of that area is desert land.

VOA: special.2009.08.12

Even after the Israelites will settle in their own land, the life of the desert pastoralist remained a sort of romantic ideal for them.

甚至在以色列人安定以后,依旧认为，那种游牧式的生活，是非常浪漫的。

耶鲁公开课 - 旧约导论课程节选

Instead of this organic farm, the land here had been claimed by the desert.

VOA: standard.2009.12.10