The Land God Promised To Abraham’s Descendants, Israel

As I was reading God's Word this morning, I felt led to explore the exact location of the land God promised to Abraham. I thought, "Sure! I'm sure others would want to know too." So here it is:

The story begins in Genesis, where God makes a covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham to leave his homeland and promises to give him a land. The promise is further clarified in Genesis 15:18-21, where God gives specific boundaries for the land that will belong to Abraham’s descendants.

In Genesis 12:1-3, it says: “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family, and your father’s house and go to a land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and anyone who curses you, I will curse. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.’”

In Genesis 15:18-21, God further defines the boundaries of the land: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates. This land includes the territories of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’”

The land God promises Abraham is huge—way bigger than what it is today. It stretches all the way from the Nile River in the southwest to the Euphrates River in the northeast. This land isn’t just a place for Abraham’s descendants to call home; it’s a powerful sign of God’s promise and covenant with them.

This promise of land was not just for Abraham, but was passed down to his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. In Genesis 26:3, God tells Isaac: “Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and bless you. I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.” Likewise, in Genesis 28:13-15, God says to Jacob: “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and your father Isaac. The land you are lying on, I will give to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and you will spread out in every direction—north, south, east, and west. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.”

The promise was clear, but getting to that land wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Abraham’s descendants would end up in slavery in Egypt, but God would eventually bring them out. After that, they’d have to trust God’s plan and timing to actually get to the promised land. The Book of Numbers talks about all the struggles they went through, mostly because they kept ignoring and blatantly disobeying God’s guidance. Then, in the Book of Joshua, we finally see them take the land and settle down.

In Deuteronomy 1:8, God says: “Look, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of it, the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” The land was more than just a place to live; it was a place where God’s people would live under His rule and receive His blessings.

The land is about more than just a physical place—it’s a symbol of rest. It represents that deeper peace and security that only God can give. It’s like a picture of what spiritual rest would look like, a place where you can find true peace in God’s presence. But getting there wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t just about walking from one place to another. It’s a journey of faith, obedience, and trust. The Israelites couldn’t just waltz in and take the land by their own strength or smarts; they had to rely on God. It was God who made the promise to Abraham, and it was by trusting in Him—His timing, His power—that they’d finally step into the land He had promised them. It’s a reminder that, just like the Israelites, we are not walking into peace on our own—it’s through trusting in God’s faithfulness.

In the Book of Hebrews, this idea of rest is taken a step further. In Hebrews 4:8-10, it says, "If Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There is still a rest available for God's people. Anyone who enters into God’s rest will rest from their works, just as God did from His." What this is really pointing to is something much bigger than just a physical land or a temporary peace. It’s talking about the eternal rest and peace that believers find in Jesus. That ultimate peace and fulfillment in Christ is the real fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham. It’s a rest that goes beyond just taking a break—it’s a deeper, lasting peace that we find when we trust in Him.

The land was promised to the Israelites as a lasting inheritance. Even though they’d be kicked out of it later because of their disobedience, God’s promise to Abraham didn’t change. He wasn’t going to leave them there forever. One day, He promised, they’d come back. You can really feel the hope of that promise in the book of Ezekiel, where God makes it very clear that He will bring them back to the land. It’s a promise of restoration, no matter how far they’d fallen.

In Ezekiel 36:24, God says: “I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and bring you back into your own land.” This promise is not just for the people of that time but for the future, when God would fully restore His people.

God's Fulfillment of the Promise

The promise of land to Abraham wasn’t just about owning a piece of land. It was a symbol of God’s faithfulness and His bigger plan for bringing redemption. Over the years, the Israelites went through exile, persecution, death and being scattered all over the world, but no matter what, God’s promise never faltered. Even when things looked really tough, His commitment to them stayed steady.

After the Israelites were exiled by the Babylonians and Romans, the hope of returning to their land never disappeared. The prophets, especially Ezekiel, spoke of a time when God would bring His people back from all the nations and restore them to their homeland (Ezekiel 36:24). This deep, enduring hope laid the foundation for Zionism, which took shape in the 19th and 20th centuries. After the horrors of the Holocaust, the urgency for a Jewish homeland became even clearer and more pressing than ever.

In 1947, the United Nations proposed a plan to divide the land of Palestine (named that by the Romans) into separate Jewish and Arab states, and in 1948, Israel boldly declared its independence. That moment was huge! It marked the beginning of God’s promise coming true, bringing the Jewish people back to their land after nearly 2,500 years. It was the start of a long-awaited new chapter in history.

Today, Israel’s existence is a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness. Despite all the wars and challenges it has faced and is still facing today, Israel has survived, which speaks strongly about God’s protection and His continuous plan for His people. Many see Israel’s return as a part of prophecy being fulfilled, like what’s mentioned in Isaiah 11:11-12: "The Lord will gather the remnant of His people... from the four corners of the earth." It’s a promise coming to life right before our eyes".

Israel’s return is a huge moment, but it’s not the end of the story. The Bible promises that, in the future, Israel will fully turn back to God, and all the promises He made to them will be fulfilled. Finally. Romans 11:26 talks about this time, saying, “And so all Israel will be saved.” This points to a moment when Israel will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and God's plan for the world will reach its final, glorious fulfillment. It's like the ultimate chapter in the story, when everything God has promised comes together in the most amazing way.

Israel’s survival, its return to the land, and its role in God’s bigger redemptive plan all show that God keeps His promises. The full restoration of Israel—physically and spiritually—will be complete when the Messiah returns, bringing peace not only to Israel but to the entire world. It’s like everything is building toward that final moment when God’s plan for peace and restoration is fully realized.

The following is the coverage of land that God promised to Abraham looking on today's maps:

Canaan:

    Modern countries: Israel, Palestine (West Bank), Lebanon, Jordan, Syria
    Geographical features: Mediterranean coast, Jordan River, Negev Desert, Golan Heights

Nile River (South):

    Exact location: From Cairo to Aswan, Egypt

Euphrates River (North):

    Exact location: From Erzincan (Turkey) through Aleppo (Syria) to Baghdad (Iraq)

Hebron:

    Exact location: 31.5317° N, 35.0974° E, West Bank, Palestinian territories

Shechem:

    Exact location: 32.2211° N, 35.2543° E, Nablus, West Bank, Palestinian territories

These are the precise locations based on the Biblical descriptions of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.

I hope this message blessed you. If so, please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

Anna M. C. Hazen  2025

The image is AI generated on chatgpt.