This region of the Jordanian wilderness was part of ancient Moab. Great canyons like these often served as a boundary between tribes. To the east of this view is the plateau of Moab, where people would have lived. The Israelites came through Moab on their way to the Promised Land. Naomi and her family moved to Moab in hopes of finding a better life. Though her husband and sons died there, Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her kind daughter-in-law, Ruth. As someone from Moab, Ruth was supposed to be excluded from God’s people (Deuteronomy 23:3). Instead, Ruth became the great-grandmother of David, and found herself in the family tree of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).