Promised Land

The land God promises to Abraham and his descendants in the Hebrew Bible. Its boundaries and identification vary across biblical passages and later traditions.

Abraham: The patriarch whom God calls and promises descendants, blessing, and land in the Hebrew Bible. The land promise first appears as part of God's covenant with him.
Covenant (biblical): A binding relationship in the Bible, often established through divine promises and obligations. The land promise is framed as part of God's covenant with the patriarchs.
Genesis 12: A chapter in Genesis narrating God's call to Abram and promise to give land to his offspring. It introduces the land promise alongside Abram's call and blessing.
Land grant: A transfer or award of land by an authority to a person or group. The biblical promise is a divine covenant claim, not merely a legal grant.
Covenant of the Pieces: A covenantal episode in Genesis 15 in which God promises Abraham's descendants a territory. This episode gives the promise one of its clearest territorial formulations.
Canaan: An ancient region of the southern Levant, inhabited by diverse peoples before and during Israel's emergence. Many biblical passages identify the promised territory with Canaan.
Genesis 15: A chapter in Genesis containing God's covenant with Abram and a promise of territory to his descendants. Its boundary description makes the land promise unusually explicit.
Boundaries of the Promised Land: The differing territorial limits assigned to the promised land in biblical passages. Contrasting boundary descriptions complicate any single map of the promise.
Book of Genesis: The first book of the Hebrew Bible, recounting creation, the patriarchs, and Israel's origins. Its narratives introduce the promise and repeat it to Abraham's descendants.
Israelites: The ancient people associated in the Hebrew Bible with the patriarch Israel and his descendants. They are the descendants to whom the land is promised.

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