The last symbolic nucleus of the founding tale is the promised land in the Bible, which also generates a plurality of themes that we will trace the most important. Historically, the Promised Land in the Bible the founding account speaks of is Canaan. A small Middle Eastern geographical area limited to the north by the mountains of Lebanon, to the south by the Negeb Desert, to the west by the Mediterranean, and the east by the Jordan River.

The founding tale speaks of this tiny land in a language transfigured by the utopian imaginary of fantasy and need: “They reached the Escol valley, where they cut a branch with a bunch of grapes, which they carried in two in a pole, and they also took pomegranates and figs “(Num 13, 33).

A geographical place transfigured by need and desire, the land of Canaan is, above all, the extended position. That is indispensable for fully understanding the logic of the founding story, which, as noted, finds its outcome precisely in the entrance to the promised land in the Bible. 

What is the Promised Land in the Bible?

In the Bible, the “promised land” was the geographical area that God declared to give to his people, the descendants of Abraham. This place was in Canaan on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. In the book of Numbers 34:1-12, we can see more in detail about the promised land: 

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel and say to them. ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this land will be your inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its borders. “Your southern border will be from the desert of Zin, by the edge of Edom. And your southern border will be from the end of the Salt Sea towards the east. Then your frame will change direction, from the south to the rise of Arabia and continue to Zin. And its terminus will be south of Kadesh-Barnea.

And it will reach Hasaradar and continue to Aston. “The border will change direction from Asmon to the torrent of Egypt, and its border shall be the sea. “As for the western border, you will have the Great Sea, that is, its coast; this will be your western border.”

Moses and the Promised Land in the Bible

 There is no doubt that God called Moses. Moreover, according to Pharaoh’s law, he was born when all Jewish male children had to be killed. Moses’ parents disobeyed this command. They hid their son for three months and entrusted him to God’s grace when the situation became untenable. We can be sure that they prayed for him, and God heard their prayer: He accepted Moses as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

When Moses learned of his lineage, he visited the children of Israel. He knew then that he had a calling in his life. He accepted it, even though he was in the highest position of the most incredible power of his time and belonged to the imperial elite. They taught him all the wisdom of Egypt and success. He had enormous authority and was mighty in speech and action. It was also a danger to him.

When God appeared to him in the thornbush, he told him that he would free Israel from slavery in Egypt through him. Moses’ mistake in Egypt was that he meant “you” instead of “by you.”

Representation of the Promised Land in the Bible

The Promised Land is the land of honey and milk.

It is difficult to limit the limits of the country of the Jews if we stick to the sacred texts. According to Exodus (23:31), God sets the boundaries of the Promised Land in the Bible “from the Red Sea to the Sea of ​​the Philistines and from the desert to the Euphrates River.” Thus, Ha-Aretz ha-Muvtajat or Ard Al-Mi’ad(‘land of honey and milk in Arabic) is seen from a purely geographical approach. It covers the Middle East from the Suez Canal to the western part of Iraq.

Also, in Genesis (15:18), we find this definition when Yahweh promises Abraham: “I will give this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” Despite this, in the fourth book of the Tanakh and the Old Testament. There is already a much more precise delimitation of the limits of such fantastic lands.

When you have entered the land of Canaan, this will be the land that will fall to you as an inheritance. And these will be its borders: you will have the south side from the desert of Zin to the edge of Edom. And its frame will be at the extreme of the Salt Sea, to the east. This border will surround you from the south to the rise of Arabia and pass as far as Zin. It will extend south to Kadesh-Barnea, continue to Hasar-Adar, and give to Aston.

If you always want to remember how Moses crossed the Red Sea and carried the Israelites safely to the Promised Land in the Bible, the following painting will inspire your thoughts.

Primary Takeaways

• Before the State of Israel was established in 1948, the superpowers proposed different options to select the Jewish people. Which was a real headache for Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. British, Soviet, American, and German, among others, proposed different places to settle the Hebrews. However, all of them were thousands of kilometers from Palestine. The only Promised Land God offered Abraham.
• Moses entered God’s will, yet forty years passed before he entered service. By this time, he had calmed down and understood that he was not the judge above his brothers. A long bargaining process with God began at the lace bush. As a result, Moses humbled himself and accepted God’s call, learning to become a leader. The first forty years were, therefore, for him, the school of becoming a leader. The second of becoming led by God. And only then followed the third forty years, for which the previous eighty years of training took place: service.
• The Promised Land in the Bible is the area for which Abraham received this promise from the Lord when he was invited: “I will give this land to your descendants” ( Genesis 12:7 ). This land is →Canaan flowing with milk and honey ( →Joshua, →Palestine ).

Conclusion

The Land of Israel (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Eretz Yisrael) is the region that, according to the Tanakh and the Bible, was promised by God to the descendants of Abraham. Through his son Isaac and to the Israelites, descendants of Jacob, grandson of Abraham.

Sticking to purely historical terms, Israel was independent for three centuries, on dates ranging between the 10th and 7th centuries BC. C., a time when we find names as significant as David or Solomon. 

But this time of splendor and power ended with the death of Solomon, the son of David. And the country was divided into two kingdoms: Israel —in the north— and Judah —in the south—. Separately, their conquest was easy for the different Mesopotamian empires that arose on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates. Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians established their rule over those lands, which a Hebrew monarch never again ruled.