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In mundane language the word Araboth would be translated as `deserts', however this carries connotations of the absence of
life and so in this context it is usually translated as `Plains'. It refers to a large and empty expanse.
It is that emptiness which is, paradoxically, most full. It is the emptiness of particular forms, in which all forms find
their source. Its equation is -infinity + infinity = 0; all things are contained herein, negated in their balance.
The word occurs in Psalm 68:4 `Extol him who rides upon the Araboth' in which it is usually translated simply as the
highest heaven.
In the Zoharic commentary on Exodus it is referred to thus: `Be glad in the presence of him who rides upon that concealed
heaven which is supported by the Chayoth.
The Zohar also interprets the word to mean `mixture' because, it says, this heaven is a mixture of fire and water. In
fact, the word `mixed' is usually given as ORB, so ORBTh, with the addition of Tau may be taken to mean `mixed matter'.
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