Nadene Goldfoot
While the covenant promising land was made with Abraham, it was Moses who delivered God's words to the Israelites concerning the land they were to live in, following their exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition identifies this place as the Land of Israel, also known as the Promised Land. Moses' teachings and prophecies on this topic are found throughout the books of the Torah, especially in Deuteronomy.
- Boundaries of the Promised Land: While the covenant with Abraham described the land's expanse from the "river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18), Moses' later teachings in the Torah describe more specific boundaries to the Israelites before they enter the land. The boundaries for the Promised Land are described in several locations in the Torah, most notably in the book of Numbers 34 and Genesis 15.
- Numbers 34 provides specific, detailed borders for the land to be settled, running from the Mediterranean Sea (Great Sea) on the west, south through the Negev and the Wadi of Egypt (River of Egypt), and including the Dead Sea and Jordan River on the east.
- Genesis 15 gives a broader, more expansive boundary from the "river of Egypt" to the great river, the Euphrates.Tigris and Euphrates Rivers show on gray, Mediterranean Sea shows on blue, Egypt shows up-small letters on green right side. The Red Sea is a narrow strip of water that extends southeastward from Suez in Egypt for about 1200 miles (1930 km) to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait,] in blue to right of word, AFRICA. ..
- More Than Half Of Israel is Desert.
- Negev Desert, arid region in the southern part of Israel and occupying almost half of Palestine west of the Jordan River and about 60 percent of Israeli territory under the 1949–67 boundaries. The name is derived from the Hebrew verbal root n-g-b, “to dry” or “to wipe dry.” The Negev is shaped like a triangle with the apex at the south. It is bounded by the Sinai Peninsula (west) and the Jordan Valley (east). Its northern boundary—where the region blends into the coastal plain in the northwest, the Judaean Hills (Har Yehuda) in the north, and the Wilderness of Judaea (Midbar Yehuda) in the northeast—is indistinct. Many use an arbitrary line at about 30°25′ N latitude for the northern boundary. Within these limits, the Negev has an area of about 4,650 square miles (12,000 square km).
- Exodus 23 also describes a border from the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) to the Sea of the Philistines (Mediterranean) and from the desert to the Euphrates River. Detailed boundaries by location
| Location | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Southern | From the end of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) on the east, south through the wilderness of Zin, crossing south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and to the "River of Egypt" (Wadi El-Arish). | Numbers 34:3-5 |
| Western | The Mediterranean Sea, continuing along the Wadi of Egypt to the southern border. | Exodus 23:31, Numbers 34:5-6 |
| Northern | Starting from the northern end of the Great Sea (Mediterranean) and extending eastward through Hethlon, Lebo-hamath, Zedad, and Hauran, likely reaching somewhere east of Damascus. | Exodus 23:31, Numbers 34:7-9 |
| Eastern | Following the Jordan River and the Dead Sea down to its southern end. | Numbers 34:10-12 |
- Deuteronomy 30:4—gathering from exile: The Torah, as delivered (written) by Moses, also foretells the possibility of exile for the Israelites if they turn away from God's commands. However, it offers a prophecy of ultimate redemption and return to the promised land. A key verse states: "Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back". (This "He" has been doing).
- What Is the Abrahamic Covenant?
The Brit Bein HaBetarim, “The Covenant of Parts,” is one of the most important events in Jewish history. In the covenant, G‑d told Abraham about the destiny of his descendants: They would be strangers in a land where they would become oppressed and enslaved (Egypt). Ultimately, however, G‑d would redeem them, and they would inherit the Land of Canaan (the Land of Israel).
Isaac and his descendants were to live in Canaan, but what was known about it in Moses's time?
In the early Late Bronze Age 1550-1200 BCE
According to the Bible, the migrant ancient Semitic-speaking peoples who appear to have settled in the region included (among others) the Amorites, who had earlier controlled Babylonia. The Hebrew Bible mentions the Amorites in the Table of Peoples (Book of Genesis 10:16–18a). Evidently, the Amorites played a significant role in the early history of Canaan. In Book of Genesis 14:7 f., Book of Joshua 10:5 f., Book of Deuteronomy 1:19 f., 27, 44, we find them located in the southern mountain country, while verses such as Book of Numbers 21:13, Book of Joshua 9:10, 24:8, 12, etc., tell of two great Amorite kings residing at Heshbon and Ashteroth, east of the Jordan. Other passages, including Book of Genesis 15:16, 48:22, Book of Joshua 24:15, Book of Judges 1:34, regard the name Amorite as synonymous with "Canaanite". The name Amorite is, however, never used for the population on the coast.(1550–1200 BCE)
Canaanite confederacies centered on Megiddo and Kadesh, before being fully brought into the Egyptian Empire and Hittite Empire. Later still, the Neo-Assyrian Empire assimilated the region.
By the Early Iron Age, the southern Levant came to be dominated by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, besides the Philistine city-states on the Mediterranean coast, and the kingdoms of Moab, Ammon, and Aram-Damascus east of the Jordan River, and Edom to the south. The northern Levant was divided into various petty kingdoms, the so-called Syro-Hittite states and the Phoenician city-states.
Until 1967 and the Six Day War, the yellow area of Judea and Samaria were under the rule of Jordan. Gaza until that same war was under the rule of Egypt. Israel won the war and by doing so gained Judea and Samaria, their land since the world began, just about, and also Gaza, which had been held by the Phoenicians, their eternal enemy. Nothing has changed. One can see that "The West Bank" Judea and Samaria, can reach with the minor of arms, Israelis.
- Known as Resolution 181, the plan proposed allocating roughly 55% of the land to the Jewish state, despite Jews owning only about 7% of the land and being a smaller portion of the population at the time.
- The partition plan was accepted by Jewish representatives but rejected by Arab leaders.
- Following the British withdrawal in 1948, the state of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948, and the region became engulfed in war.
