Chapter XII: Part ONE

We have followed the history of the Is'ra-el-ites to their encampment on the border of their promised land. Before taking up the study of their conquest of Ca'naan let us obtain some conception of the country with which the greater part of Bible history is connected--the land of Pal'es-tine.

I. Let us notice its =Names= at different periods:

1. The earliest name was =Ca'naan=, "lowland," referring only to the section between the river Jor'dan and the Med-i-ter-ra'ne-an Sea, of which the inhabitants most widely known were the Ca'naan-ites, dwelling on the lowland plains (Gen. 12. 5).

2. After the conquest by Josh'u-a it was called =Is'ra-el=, though in later times of Old Testament history the name referred only to the northern portion, the southern kingdom being called Ju'dah (Judg. 18. 1; 1 Kings 12. 20).

3. In the New Testament period its political name was =Ju-de'a=, which was also the name of its most important province (Mark 1. 5).

4. Its modern name is =Pal'es-tine=, a form of the word "Phi-lis'tine," the name of a heathen race which in early times occupied its southwestern border (Isa. 14. 29).

II. The following are the principal =Dimensions= of Pal'es-tine:

1. =Ca'naan=, or western Pal'es-tine, has an area of about 6,600 square miles, a little less than Massachusetts.

2. =Pal'es-tine Proper=, the domain of the Twelve Tribes, embraces 12,000 square miles, about the area of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

3. The =Coast Line=, from Ga'za, the southernmost town, to Tyre, on the north, is not far from 140 miles long.

4. The =Jor'dan= is distant from the coast at Tyre about 25 miles; and the =Dead Sea=, in a line due east from Ga'za, about 60 miles.

5. The =Jor'dan Line=, from Dan, one of the sources of the Jor'dan, to the southern end of the Dead Sea, is 155 miles.

III. The most important =Waters= of Pal'es-tine are:

1. The =Med-i-ter-ra'ne-an Sea=, which bounds the land on the west (Josh. 1. 4; Exod. 23. 31; Deut. 11. 24).

2. The =River Jor'dan=, rising in three sources in Mount Her'mon, and emptying into the Dead Sea in a direct line 105 miles long, but by its windings over 200 miles (Deut. 9. 1; Josh. 4. 1; 2 Sam. 17. 22).

3. =Lake Me'rom=, now called _Hu'leh_, a triangular sheet of water, 3 miles across, in a swamp in northern Gal'i-lee (Josh. 11. 5).

4. The =Sea of Gal'i-lee=,[8] a pear-shaped lake, 14 miles long by 9 wide, and nearly 700 feet below the sea level. (Note other names in Josh. 13. 27; 11. 2; Luke 5. 1; John 6. 1.)

5. The =Dead Sea=, 47 miles long by 10 wide, and 1,300 feet below the sea level (Gen. 14. 3; Deut. 4. 49; Joel 2. 20).

IV. The land of Pal'es-tine lies in five =Natural Divisions=, nearly parallel:

1. The =Maritime Plain=, or sandy flat, extending along the Med-i-ter-ra'ne-an Sea, from 8 to 20 miles wide.

2. The =Sheph'e-lah=, or foothills, from 300 to 500 feet high and very fertile.

3. The =Mountain Region=, the backbone of the land, consisting of mountains from 2,500 to 4,000 feet high.

4. The =Jor'dan Valley=, a deep ravine, the bed of the river and its three lakes, from 500 to 1,200 feet below the level of the sea, and from 2 to 14 miles wide.

5. The =Eastern Table-land=, a region of lofty and precipitous mountains, from whose summit a plain stretches away to the A-ra'bi-an Desert on the east.

Hints to the Teacher

1. Let the map be drawn by the teacher in presence of
the class, and each part carefully taught, while the
class also draw the map in their notebooks.

2. Then erase the map from the board, and call upon
one scholar, in presence of the class, to draw the
lines representing natural divisions: another the
river and lakes, etc., etc.

3. If chalk of different colors can be used for the
different departments of the map, coast line and
Jordan line one color, mountain lines another, it will
add to the interest.

Blackboard Outline

I. =Na.= Ca. Isr. Jud. Pal.
II. =Dim.= Ca. 6,600. Pal. 12,000. C. L. 140. To =Jor.= 25. To D. S.
60. Jor. L. 155.
III. =Wat.= Med. Jor. L. Me. S. Gal. D. S.
IV. =Nat. Div.= M. P. Sh. M. R. J. V. E. T.-L.

Review Questions

Why is a knowledge of the land of Pal'es-tine
important? Give and explain the four different names
of this land. What is meant by "Ca'naan" proper? How
large is Ca'naan? How large was the domain of the
Twelve Tribes? How long is the coast line? How far is
the Jor'dan distant from the coast near its source?
How far is the Dead Sea from the coast? What is meant
by the Jor'dan line? How long is the Jor'dan line?
Name the most important waters of Pal'es-tine.
Describe the river Jor'dan, sources, elevations,
length, etc. Describe and locate Lake Me'rom. Describe
the Sea of Gal'i-lee. Describe the Dead Sea. What are
the five natural divisions of Pal'es-tine?