(4) After the Captivity. After the Captiv ity we hear very little of the territories of the tribes, for ten of them never returned to occupy their ancient domains.
(5) In the Time of Christ. In the time of Christ the country on the west of the Jordan was divided into the provinces of Galilee, Samaria, and Judaea. Galilee is a name which occurs re peatedly in the book of Joshua (xxi:32) ; and very often in the later history. It was applied to that part of Palestine north of the plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel. This province was divided into Lower or Southern, and Upper or Northern Gali lee. The latter section was also denominated Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. iv:t5). Samaria occupied nearly the middle of Palestine; but, al though it extended across the country, it did not come down to the seashore. Juthea, as a prov ince, corresponded to the northern and western parts of the ancient kingdom of that name; but the southeastern portion formed the territory of Idumxa. On the other side of the Jordan the di visions were, at this time, more numerous and less distinct.
3. Perzea. The whole country, generally, was called Perma, and was divided into eight districts or cantons, namely: (1) Pera.a, in the more limited sense, which was the southernmost can ton, extending from the river Anton to the river Jabbok. (2) Gilead, north of the Jabbok, and highly populous. (3) Dccapolis, or the district of ten citics, which were Seythopolis or Bethshan (on the west side of the Jordan), Hippos, Ga dara, Pella, Philadelphia (formerly Rabbath), Dium, Canatha, Gerasa, Raphana, and, perhaps, Damascus: but there is not much certainty with regard to the ten cities from which the region had its name. (4) Gaulonttis, extending to the northeast of the Upper Jordan and of the lake of Gennesareth. (5) Batamea, the ancient Ba silan, but less extensive, east of the lake of Gen nesaretlt. (6) Auranitis, also called Iturtra, and known to this day by the old name of Hauran (Ezck. xlvii :16-03), to the north of Batanxa and the cast of Gaulonitis. (7) Trachonitis, extend ing to the north of Gaulonitis, and east from Paneas (Ctrsarea Philippi). and the sourccs of the Jordan, where it was separated from Galilee (Luke iii:1). (8) Abilene, in the extreme north, among the mountains of Anti-Libanus, between Baalbcc and Damascus. The more important of these names have been noticed under their several heads.
4. Situation and Boundaries. Palestine is the southwestern part of Syria, extending from the mountains of Lebanon to the borders of Egypt.
(1) Location. It lies about midway between the.equator and the polar circle, to which happy position it owes the fine medium climate which it possesses. Its length is embraced between 3o
40' and 33° 32' of north latitude, and between 33* 45' of east longitude in the southwest, and 35° 48' in thc northeast. The breadth may be taken at an average of sixty-five miles, the ex treme width being about too miles. The length, from Alount Hermon in the north, to which the territory of Manasseh beyond the• Jordan ex tended (Josh. xiii:11), to Kadesh-barnea in the south, to which the territory of Judah reached, was i8o miles.
Palestine may be regarded as embracing an area of almost t,000 square miles, which is some what more than is usually given to it. But the real surface is much greater than this estimate and these comparisons would imply; for Pales tine being essentially a hilly country, the sides of the mountains and the slopes of the hills enlarge the available surface to an extent which does not admit of calculation (Physical Geog., p. xxviii: in Kitto's Pictorial Hist. of Palestine). The clearest description of its boundary lines is that contained in Num. xxxiv.
(2) The Southern Boundary. The text (Num. xxxiv:3, 5) we read thus: 'Your south border shall be at the wilderness of Zin adjoining to Edom, and your south border shall be at the ut most point of the great sea southward.' There is here a general description of the line, namely, that it extends from the desert of Zin (Wady Arabah), at a point not stated, to the Mediter ranean, at a point also not stated. Then in the following verses the writer returns to state the particulars of this same boundary line: 'Your south border shall wind by the ascent of Akrab bim (at the end of the Dead Sea), and pass on (down the Arabah) to Zin; and thence extend ing (still southward down the Arabah), to Mc south of Kadesh-barnea, it shall go on to Nazar addar, and pass on to Azmon. And front Azmon the boundary shall wind about to the river of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.' What is here said respecting Ilazar-addar and Azmon we do not understand, as the sites have not been determined; but without this, it is clear that the writer, after prolonging the eastern boundary line from the end of the Dead Sea down the edge of the Arabah. to a point somewhere south of Kadesh-barnea, then turns off westward to form the southern line, which lie extends to the Mediterranean, at a point where 'the river of Egypt' falls into the sea. This river of Egypt is usually, and on very adequate grounds, sup posed to be the stream which falls Into the sea near El-Arish.