Topical Bible: Holy Land: Extent of As Promised

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The term "Holy Land" refers to the geographical region that holds significant religious importance in the Bible, particularly as the land promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This promise is foundational to the biblical narrative and is reiterated throughout the Scriptures.

The Abrahamic Covenant

The initial promise of the land is found in God's covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abram (later Abraham) to leave his country and promises to make him a great nation. The specific promise of land is detailed in Genesis 15:18-21: "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.'"

The Extent of the Promised Land

The boundaries of the Promised Land, as described in the Bible, extend from the "river of Egypt" to the "great river, the Euphrates." This description encompasses a vast area, including parts of modern-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The "river of Egypt" is often interpreted as the Wadi El-Arish, a seasonal river in the Sinai Peninsula, rather than the Nile River.

Reaffirmation to Isaac and Jacob

The promise of the land is reaffirmed to Abraham's son Isaac and grandson Jacob. In Genesis 26:3-4, God tells Isaac, "Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham." Similarly, in Genesis 28:13-14, God appears to Jacob in a dream, saying, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie."

The Mosaic Covenant and the Conquest

The promise of the land is central to the Mosaic Covenant, where God reiterates His commitment to give the land to the Israelites. In Exodus 23:31, God outlines the borders: "And I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates." The conquest of Canaan under Joshua marks the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise, as the Israelites take possession of the land.

The Davidic Kingdom

Under King David and his son Solomon, the Israelites experience the greatest territorial extent of the Promised Land. 1 Kings 4:21 states, "Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt." This period is often seen as the zenith of the fulfillment of the land promise.

Prophetic Promises and Future Fulfillment

The prophets of the Old Testament frequently speak of a future restoration of Israel to the land, especially in the context of exile and dispersion. Passages such as Ezekiel 37:21-22 and Amos 9:14-15 emphasize God's enduring promise to bring His people back to the land He gave their ancestors.

The extent of the Holy Land as promised in the Bible is a topic of theological significance, reflecting God's covenantal faithfulness and the unfolding of His redemptive plan through history.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 1:7
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and to all the places near thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and to Lebanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates.
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Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
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Library

After Thus Misrepresenting Our views of the Nature of God...
... The extent of it,' [4738] says he, is immense, and we ... who lived according to His
law the holy land, which is ... that what is said of the good land promised by God ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxviii after thus misrepresenting.htm

The Land and the People.
... still remains the fact of the vast extent and solemnity of ... of the great deliverance
from the land of bondage ... He was called "the gentle, the holy, the scholar of ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 17 the land and.htm

On Confession
... we, who in Baptism and Confirmation have promised to serve ... In our time pilgrimages
to the Holy Land, to Rome, and ... We have been relieved to some extent of doing ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 19 on confession.htm

Innocent iii
... The extent of land was defined as including not only the ... many crusaders to set off
to the Holy Land; so that ... And all this he promised because he was "King of ...
/.../medley/the church and the empire/chapter ix innocent iii.htm

How the Prophets and Holy Men of the Old Testament Knew the Things ...
... the meaning of the allotment of the land after the ... as it hath now been revealed unto
His holy Apostles and ... was known to the prophets to this extent, that they ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/2 how the prophets and.htm

Third Withdrawal from Herod's Territory.
... is the most northern city of the Holy Land visited by ... the second point being as to
the extent of the ... the apostles were the mouthpieces of the Holy Spirit; but ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxx third withdrawal from herods 2.htm

Palestine under Pagan Kings.
... in Palestine, after the moving multitude reached the "promised land.". ... flowed through
the entire extent, from north ... of western Asia, also invaded the Holy Land. ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/palestine under pagan kings.htm

The Ministry in Galilee --The New Lesson
... Within the limits of the Holy Land the faith of the disciples ... and worker of signs
must be the promised king ... disciples had had time to consider the extent of the ...
/.../rhees/the life of jesus of nazareth/iv the ministry in galileethe.htm

The Apocalypse of Baruch.
... be destroyed, and the inhabitants of the land should be ... To the question as to the
extent of the tribulation ... as he sleeps amid the ruins of the Holy Place, sees ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the apocalypse of baruch.htm

First Missionary Journey Scripture
... So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto ... his zeal for Christ by
selling his land and devoting ... Extent and Time+"This was the shortest of the ...
/.../sell/bible studies in the life of paul/study iii first missionary journey.htm