Some 3,500 years ago the Canaanites inhabited the land that God promised to give to the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God promised that He would give the land of Israel to the Jewish people as an eternal possession. The promise was unconditional, it could never be annulled.
Forty years after the Exodus from Egypt, God did bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. Israel reached the peak of her power some 500 years later under King Solomon. During his kingdom Israel occupied a large part, but not all, of the territory which God had promised to her. Israel was required to obey the Law of Moses and, when the Jews failed, God thrust them out of the land.
However, God’s promise that they will inherit the land still stands. We see the Jews being brought back to the Promised Land in our day, but as we see, the borders of the modern-day State of Israel are only a fraction of the true biblical borders of the Promised Land.
We expect that God’s word will be fulfilled and that they will enter into their full inheritance. Where exactly are these promised borders?
Let’s begin with Genesis 15:18-21. The Torah tells us: “On that day God made a covenant with Abram and said, To your descendants I give 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.”
From the river of Egypt to the Euprates is a huge territory. This expansive promise outlines a territory that stretches from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River, encompassing a vast area that includes parts of modern-day Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
More precise geographical borders are given in Exodus 23:31. “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you.”
Notice how the Red Sea and the Euphrates are mentioned to define the southern and eastern borders of the full land promised to the Jews.
The “Red Sea,” corresponding to the Hebrew “Yam Suf,” refers to the body of water known in ancient times as the Erythraean Sea. Erythraean is “red” in Greek, hence the name the “Red Sea.” However, the term “Erythraean Sea” denotes all the waters surrounding Arabia and not merely the waters at the southern port of Israel that are known today as the “Red Sea.” It emerges, therefore, that all of Saudi Arabia may very well be part of the land promised to the Jewish people.
The borders of Numbers 34 and Ezekiel 47 are the most familiar as they somewhat resemble the borders of the modern State of Israel:
“God said to Moses…When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries: Your southern side will be the Desert of Zin…and the southern end of the Dead Sea…Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea…For the northern border…run a horizontal line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor…For your eastern border…the coastline along the Sea of Galilee…down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’”
According to these borders, Beirut, Damascus, and even Southern Turkey (as “Mount Hor” is quite far north) are part of the Land of Israel.
So why does the Torah list different borders in different passages? The answer can be found in Deuteronomy 19:8, where we are told that “God will enlarge your borders…and you will receive all the land that He promised to your fathers.”
To some of us, today’s news updates from the Middle East may be confusing. Too many things are happening all at the same time.
Turkish-backed Sunni terrorists from Syria are attacking Hezbollah in Northern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army is fighting alongside Hezbollah to defend them. These enemies are fighting each other, instead of fighting Israel.
In Southern Syria, the Druze community openly requested that Israel stay to protect them from radical Islamist forces.
Hamas ceasefire talks have ended, and Israel is cleaning up Gaza.
It looks like we are in the process of witnessing the Biblical borders of Israel coming true. We are seriously living through Biblical times.
Some say Israel will get her promised border when the Messiah comes. It looks like this may happen sooner than later.
Standing with Israel 