Thursday, March 20, 2008

Nu. 34: Live here

Numbers 34:2 "Command the Israelites, When you come into the land of Canaan (which is the land that shall be yours for an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries)"

The north border:
From the Great Sea to Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath to Zedad to Ziphron to Hazar Enan.

The east border:
From Hazar Enan to Shepham to Riblah to the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee), down the Jordan River to the Salt Sea.

The south border:
From the Salt Sea to Zin to Kadesh Barnea to Hazar Addar to Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea

The west border:
The Great Sea

So, what exactly are the boundaries of the promised land? I found a map. Thanks to the people at cdlib.org, who are graciously unaware of what I have blatantly stolen from them.

Next to that, I found another map based on the promise made to Abraham.
What gives? The promised land has shrunk big time it would seem. Well, we do need to be reminded that this land in the lower map was promised to Abraham's descendants. The land in the upper map was promised to the descendants of Jacob. You can be a descendant of Abraham and not be a descendant of Jacob. Abraham's descendants came also from Ishmael, Esau...etc. Is it that simple though? Ponderous.

Additionally, there were descendants of Jacob (Reuben, Gad, Manasseh) that chose to inherit land outside of the promised land, east of the Jordan River.

Then God had Moses have Eleazar and Joshua along with leaders from the other 9.5 tribes help assign inheritance based on lots. From Urim and Thummim maybe?

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