“I [God] will establish your [the Hebrews] borders from the Red Sea [Salt Sea, Eastern border] to the Sea of the Philistines [the Mediterranean, Western border], and from the desert [Arabian, Southern border] to the River [the Euphrates, Northern border].” (Exodus 23:31, NIV 1984).
My Musings – This passage is just one of many descriptions of “God’s Mandate” to the Hebrew people, descendants of Abraham, specifically “it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Genesis 21:12, NIV 1984). That is to say, Israel and Judah.
This contrasts geographically with “from the river [the Jordan] to the sea [the Mediterranean],” which geographically refers to the area of the old Ottoman Empire called Palestine. This includes modern day Israel, the occupied Palestinian Territories, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Politically, it refers to the 1922 “League of Nations Mandate” assigned to Great Britain implementing the Balfour Resolution to establish a national home for the dispersed Jewish people without prejudicing the rights of the existing non-Jewish population. The mandate ended in 1948 when the State of Israel was declared.
Geographically, the boundaries of the “League of Nations” mandate fall within “God’s Mandate.” That is to say “God’s Mandate” comprises a much larger area. Politically, “”from the river to the sea” has been used to mean anything from advocating a single democratic state with equal rights for all inhabitants (Jews and Palestinians), to the destruction of Israel or expulsion of the Jews.
The name Palestine is derived from Philistine, an ancient foe of the Hebrews. Under the Romans (Emperor Hadrian), their province of Judea, was renamed Syria Palaestina, presumably to diminish the Jews historical and religious ties to their ancestral homeland. The name Palestine stuck until 1948.
At least this is my understanding.
My Advice – Public opinion and political positions rarely coincide with Biblical truth. Trust God to sort this out in His own way, in His own time, and according to His Sovereign will. In the meantime, in these last days, this tiny strip of land with roughly 0.12% of total world population will likely continue dominating the world’s center stage.
