Biblical Depiction of Wilderness

To fully understand the term wilderness in the sense of a definition, one must first locate the origin of the word.  As Nash described it, Wilderness "designates a quality that producesa certain mood or feeling in a given individual and, as a consequence, may be assigned by that person to a specific place".  This explanation directly relates to the biblical interpretation of a place where people are in spiritual tranquility as opposed to the grievences of civilization.  Afterall, wilderness cannot exist without the establishment of civilization. 
Nash also referenced how the term wild in the Old English as a description of "creatures not under the control of man".  Basically any land in its natural state, such as the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve arrived there.  Once man call this place home, it loses its wild characteristic.