Different Boundaries 27 February 2026, 10 Adar 5786.
See Also: Borders of Israel.
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/borders.html
Contents:
1. The River Nile and the Stream (Brook) of Egypt.
2. The Euphrates.
3. Circumcision.
4. The Missing Three Nations.
5. The Three Nations and the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
6. The Southern Border.
7. Reconciling the Differences.
8. Prophecies concerning the Lost Ten Tribes in Exile:
1. The River Nile and the Stream (Brook) of Egypt.
The Western Border of Israel with Mitsraim (Egypt) is the Nahar Mitzrayim ('River of Egypt'), used in Genesis 15:19.
We thus have the two expression "River of Egypt" and "Stream (Brook) of Egypt."
We understand that the River of Egypt is the Nile River. The Stream of Egypt may be the eastern confluent (that once existed) of the Nile or it may be another waterway more to the east and north. Both solutions are correct. So, too regardings differences elsewhere. This was by design. There is an order of priorities concerning different designated boundaries.
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The Euphrates is the Euphrates River which stretches from the Northeast of Israel to the far north into Turkey.
Some understand the border to only reach up to the Euphrates River at one point. Others understand the border to stretch along all its length.
Genesis (TCB) 15:
18 ON THAT DAY, THE LORD FORMED A COVENANT WITH ABRAM, SAYING, "TO YOUR SEED I HAVE GIVEN THIS LAND, FROM THE RIVER OF EGYPT UNTIL THE GREAT RIVER, THE EUPHRATES RIVER.
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In contnuation the nations who will be displaced are listed:
Genesis (TCB) 15:
18 ON THAT DAY, THE LORD FORMED A COVENANT WITH ABRAM, SAYING, "TO YOUR SEED I HAVE GIVEN THIS LAND, FROM THE RIVER OF EGYPT UNTIL THE GREAT RIVER, THE EUPHRATES RIVER.
19 THE KENITES, THE KENIZZITES, AND THE KADMONITES,
20 AND THE HITTITES AND THE PERIZZITES AND THE REPHAIM,
21 AND THE AMORITES AND THE CANAANITES AND THE GIRGASHITES AND THE JEBUSITES."
Here Abram (later to be-named Abraham, Genesis 17:5) is given the area from the River of Egypt up to the Great River the Euphrates.
The promise to inherit the Land of Canaan was repeated and linked with the worship of God and the rite of circumcision (Genesis 17:8).
Genesis (TCT) 17:
8 AND I WILL GIVE YOU AND YOUR SEED AFTER YOU THE LAND OF YOUR SOJOURNINGS, THE ENTIRE LAND OF CANAAN FOR AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION, AND I WILL BE TO THEM FOR A GOD."
9 AND GOD SAID TO ABRAHAM, "AND YOU SHALL KEEP MY COVENANT, YOU AND YOUR SEED AFTER YOU THROUGHOUT THEIR GENERATIONS.
10 THIS IS MY COVENANT, WHICH YOU SHALL OBSERVE BETWEEN ME AND BETWEEN YOU AND BETWEEN YOUR SEED AFTER YOU, THAT EVERY MALE AMONG YOU BE CIRCUMCISED.
11 AND YOU SHALL CIRCUMCISE THE FLESH OF YOUR FORESKIN, AND IT SHALL BE AS THE SIGN OF A COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND BETWEEN YOU.
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4. The Missing Three Nations.
The promise to Abraham above (Genesis 15:10-21) listed the Lands of 10 Canaanite Nations,
KENITES, KENIZZITES, KADMONITES,
HITTITES PERIZZITES REPHAIM,
AMORITES CANAANITES GIRGASHITES JEBUSITES.
The terms Canaanite and Amorite are the names of specific peoples AS WELL as at times being used as generic terms for all the Canaanites.
Elsewhere the borders are repeated but only SEVEN Canaanite nations are recalled.
For example:
Joshua 3:10 AND JOSHUA SAID, HEREBY YOU SHALL KNOW THAT THE LIVING GOD IS AMONG YOU, AND THAT HE WILL WITHOUT FAIL DRIVE OUT FROM BEFORE YOU THE CANAANITES, AND THE HITTITES, AND THE HIVITES, AND THE PERIZZITES, AND THE GIRGASHITES, AND THE AMORITES, AND THE JEBUSITES.
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/joshua/joshua3.html
CANAANITES, HITTITES, HIVITES, PERIZZITES, GIRGASHITES, AMORITES, JEBUSITES.
Different borders are delineated for different situations.
In the above listing, REPHRAIM appears to be identical with HIVITES.
KENITES, KENIZZITES, KADMONITES, are missing.
According to tradition these last three were taken by Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites.
The Edomites were descendants from Esau the son of Jacob and grandson of Abraham. Ammonites and Moabites were descended from Lot the nephew of Abraham.
Nevertheless, these lands are also destined to be given to Israel.
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5. The Three Nations and the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
The Hatam Sofer (1762-1879) identifies GIRGASHITES, AND THE AMORITES, AND THE JEBUSITES with areas in Western Europe in which Israelites will dwell in the End Times. Evidently the Israelites referred to are the Lost Ten Trbeis of Israel.
Abraham passed the Covenant onto Isaac:
"MY COVENANT WILL I ESTABLISH WITH ISAAC" (Genesis 17:21); "I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH HIM FOR AN EVERLASTING COVENANT, AND WITH HIS SEED AFTER HIM" (Genesis 17:19). God informed Abraham, "IN ISAAC SHALL YOUR SEED BE CALLED" (Genesis 21:21), cf. " TAKE NOW YOUR SON, YOUR ONLY SON, WHOM YOU LOVE, ISAAC..." (Genesis 22:2).
Isaac passed it on to Jacob (Genesis 27:41).who was renamed Israel (Genesis 32:8, 35:10).
See:
Genealogy of the Blessings
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/biblical-proof/genb.html
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Numbers (TCB) 34:
2 COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY TO THEM, WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, THIS IS THE LAND WHICH SHALL FALL TO YOU AS AN INHERITANCE, THE LAND OF CANAAN ACCORDING TO ITS BORDERS.
3 YOUR SOUTHERNMOST CORNER SHALL BE FROM THE DESERT OF ZIN ALONG EDOM, AND THE SOUTHERN BORDER SHALL BE FROM THE EDGE OF THE SEA OF SALT [THE DEAD SEA] TO THE EAST.
4 THE BORDER THEN TURNS SOUTH OF MAALEH AKRABIM [ELEVATION OF AKRABIM], PASSING TOWARD ZIN, AND ITS ENDS SHALL BE TO THE SOUTH OF KADESH BARNEA. THEN IT SHALL EXTEND TO HAZAR ADDAR AND CONTINUE TOWARD AZMON.
5 THE BORDER THEN TURNS FROM AZMON TO THE STREAM OF EGYPT, AND ITS ENDS SHALL BE TO THE SEA.
See Also a Rabbinical Treatment of the subject concerning the above:
https://dinonline.org/2021/07/09/the-borders-of-the-holy-land/
So too, instead of the RIVER of Egypt we find the BROOK (stream) of Egypt.
The Talmud also mentions David being criticized for conquering Syria BEFORE he had consolidated his hold on the area of Jerusalem and its surroundings.
Rabbinic sources note that King David conquered Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Tzovah (regions including Damascus), Talmud Gittin 8b.
In the Midrash Sifrei Deuteronomy (51:2) David was criticized for conquering these areas before fully conquering and securing the regions closer to home, such as those closer to Jerusalem held by the Jebusites.
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7. Reconciling the Differences.
How do we bring these apparently conflicting sources together?
The Land of Greater Israel was promised to Abraham. Other lands were also predicted as falling under the aegis of his descendants.
Greater Israel was promised to all the 12 Tribes including to those who had previously been "lost." Ezekiel ch.48 describes the Tribes returning and copping these areas.
Note: There were 2 areas named "Damascus" in Scripture. One was that of the present day city of Damascus in Syria, the other much further to the north (Albright, Bar-Droma).
There were differences in the various levels of holiness between the various regions. This is both according to the Bible and to later Rabbinical Understanding.
The area west of the Jordan was more exalted than that to the east of it.
The Bible says that first the regions east of the Jordan, Bashan and the Kingdom of Og, were conquered then they crossed the Jordan.
They should have first taken their initial Tribal inheritances inlcuding the area around Jerusalem.
The first conquest should have reached up to the Brook of Egypt. Later, they could expand to the River of Egypt.
So too, in the north.
Meanwhile the LTTs (Lost Ten Tribes) sinned and were exiled, lost their identity, and moved on to other places. The Lost Ten Trbies are destined to return to the areas of Greater Israel while the Land they already occupy will also be included as part of the Promised Land.
Extract:
"Chatam Sofer," or "Chasam Sofer."]
Commentary to the Talmud, Baitsa 4b.
# It seems to me, may HaShem expand our border quickly in our days, for then all the isles and islands that are in the Great Sea opposite the Land of Israel to the western limit of the Okeanos [Atlantic Ocean] all of it shall belong to the Land of Israel, and study the source [in the Talmud], Gittin 8a, and in Tosafot where it begins Said Rabbi Yehudah. Indisputably all this is part of the [lands given to] Ten Peoples... #
Levushi Mordecai (by Rabbi Mordechai Leib Winkler, 1845-1932).
Part Three, Yorei Daeah, 49.
# I heard from my Rabbi and Teacher... who heard from the holy mouth of our teacher, the Hatam Sofer, concerning the borders of the Land [of Israel in the future]: the Country of "England" belongs to the islands of the Holy Land.... It is known what is said in Midrashim that Jerusalem is destined to expand like the whole of Land of Israel [is now] while the Land of Israel shall increase [in size] greatly... #
"Natan Priyo" (by Rabbi Nathan Gestetner, 1932-2010)
https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A0%D7%AA%D7%9F_%D7%92%D7%A9%D7%98%D7%98%D7%A0%D7%A8
Commentary to Talmud, Gittin 8a.
# The Hatam Sofer... wrote that all the Islands in the Great Sea up until the end of the Okeanos Sea [Atlantic Ocean] shall all belong to the Land of Israel, at all events they are part of the Lands of the Ten Nations [Promised to Abraham]... Levushei Mordecai heard from his teacher, who heard from the Hatam Softer, that the Land of England as well is part of the islands of the Holy Land...
Note: The Predicted areaappears to include North America. i .e. all the Islands in the Great Sea up until the end of the Okeanos Sea [Atlantic Ocean]
See Also:
Predicted Hebrew Islands
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/rabbi/sofer.html
Combining the Midrashim with the words of the Hatam Sofer the impression is that the areas of the Three Nations were oriignally in the Middle East. Then they moved to Meditterranean area including Spain. From there they migreated further north.
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8. Prophecies concerning the Lost Ten Tribes in Exile:
The exiled Israelites (including the descendants of Joseph) were to become one of the most numerous groups of people on earth (Genesis 15:5, 22:17, 24:60, 32:12, Numbers 23:10, Deuteronomy 1:11, Isaiah 10:22, 24:16, 26:15, Hosea 1:10); to be the most powerful (Genesis 27:9, Numbers 24:7, Michah 5:7-9), to be the richest, to possess the most mineral and agricultural resources (Genesis 27:28, 49:25, Deuteronomy 33:13-16, Hosea 2:8), to live in the best places (Isaiah 41:8-9), to be in islands (Isaiah 42:4, 49:1-6 Jeremiah 31:9-10), peninsulas (Jeremiah 31:8), and at continental extremities (Deuteronomy 33:13, Isaiah 24:16, 26:15, 41:8-9, 49:6), to be sea-farers (Isaiah 42:6), to gain control over strategic points regarding their potential adversaries (Genesis 22:16-17, 24:60), to be like a lion, and unicorn (Numbers 24:8-9) official symbol of Britain, and bald-headed eagle (Micah 1:16) official symbol of the USA. The Lost Ten Tribies were also to be largely unaware of their Israelite identity and to practice a non--Jewish religion (Hosea 2:8, 2:13, 2:16 11:12). Judah (i.e. the Jews) in the End Times would on the whole not know who the Lost Ten Tribes are (Isaiah 49:21). Scripture gives numerous identifying characteristics that taken as a whole can only fit THE one group of people that were to be found in Western Europe especially in Britain and its offshoots in North America, etc.
