PALESTINE (pares-tine). This name, usually applied to the country formerly inhabited by the Israelites, occurs only once (Joel iii:4) in the Old Testament. It is, however, derived from Philistia (Heb. tel-aw-sheth), or the country of the Philistines, which comprised the southern part of the coast plain of Canaan along the Mediter ranean.
The word Philistia occurs in Exod. xiii :17; Ps. lx :8; lxxxiii :7; lxxxvii :4 ; cviii :9 ; Is. xiv :29, 31. From this arose the name Palestine t 11aXatirritm), which was applied by most ancient writers, and even by Josephus (Antiq. i, 6, 2 ; 15, 2; V111, 10, 3), to the whole land of the Israelites (see Re land's Palcestina, p. 38, sq.).
I. JVames. The other names of the country may be given in the order of their occurrence in Scripture.
(1) Canaan. From Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, from whom the first inhabitants were descended. It is the most ancient name of the country, and is first found as such in Gen. xi : 31. This denomination was confined to the coun try between the Mediterranean and the Jordan; for Exod. xvi :35 (comp. Josh. v:11, 12) shows that the Jordan was the eastern boundary of Ca naan. This is also seen in Num. xxxiii :51 ; xxxiv: it, 12; (comp. Exod. xv:15). When the name Canaan was thus used with reference to the coun try west of the Jordan, the region east of that river was called the Land of Gilead (Dem. xxxiv: 2 ; Josh. xxii :9, / I ). In later times the term Ca naan was understood to include Phcenicia (Is. xxiii :1 ; Matt. xv :21-22), and also the land of the Philistines.
(2) Land of Israel. This natne was given to the whole country as distributed among and oc cupied by the tribes of Israel. The designation, Land of Israel, was never applied but to the ag gregate possessions of the tribes as defined by the limits laid down when the distribution was made in the time of Joshua (Judg. xix :29 : I Sam.
xiii :19; Ezek. VII :2 ; Matt. ii :20, 21 ; lepaiX), land of Israel. In Ezek. xxvii :17. and other places, the land of Israel is considered as the ter ritory of the ten tribes, forming the separate king dom of Israel, as distinct from that of Judah. (See ISRAEL.) (3) Land of Promise. So called as the land which God promised to the patriarchal fathers to bestow on their descendants (Gen. xv :18; 1:24;
Num. xxxii ; comp. Heb. xi :9).
(4) Land of Jehovah. So called as being in a special and peculiar sense the property of Je hovah, who, as the sovereign proprietor of the soil, granted it to the Hebrews (Lev. xxv :23 ; Ps. lxxxv:t ; Is. viii:8).
(5) The Holy Land. This name occurs only in Zech. ii :12. The land is here called 'Holy,' as being the Lord's property, and sanctified by his emple and worship: but Christians, in applying to it the same title, probably regard it more as the scene of the life, the travels, and the suffer ings of Christ.
(6) Judah, Judi:ea. This name belonged at first to the territory of the tribe of Judah alone. After the separation of the two kingdoms, one of them took the name of Judah, which contained the territories both of that tribe and of Benjamin. After the Captivity, down to and after the time of Christ, Juthea was used in a loose way as a general name for the whole country of Palestine; but in more precise language, and with reference to internal distribution, it denoted nearly all the ter ritories of the ancient kingdom, as distinguished from Samaria and Galilee on the west of the Jor dan, and Perxa on the east. (See Jurimt.) 2. DiVisions. The divisions of Palestine were different in different ages.
(1) In Patriarchal Times. In the time of the patriarchs the country was divided among the tribes or nations descended from the sons of Canaan. The precise locality of each nation is not, in every case, distinctly known ; but our map exhibits the most probable arrangement.
(2) In the Time of Moses. When the Israel ites were preparing to enter Canaan, the distribu tion of the nations on the west of the Jordan had undergone very little change; but, on the east of that river, we find the three principal ter ritories to have been Bashan, in the north—that is to say, cast and northeast of the lake Gennes areth; Gilead, in the middle; and, in the south, on the cast of the Dead Sea, the Land of Moab. (See (3) After the Conquest the land was distrib uted by lot among the tribes. The particulars of this distribution will be best seen by reference to the map.