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The Land Through Time

The Promised Land

The land promised to Abraham, shown on our maps era by era, in story order.

God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Its borders are described in more than one way in Scripture, and the land Israel actually held changed over time. Each map below shows one moment, with its verses and what we could not show.

  • The text says

    The land promised to Abraham’s descendants is called Canaan, and later Israel and Judah.Gen 12:7; Num 34:1–12

  • Debated

    The borders of the promised land are described differently in different passages (compare Gen 15:18 with Num 34), and scholars disagree about how they relate to the borders Israel actually held.Gen 15:18–21; Num 34:1–12

Israel in the Time of the Judges

Map of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan in the time of the Judges. Each of the twelve tribes has a soft color: Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and Issachar in the north; Manasseh on both sides of the Jordan; Ephraim, Benjamin and Dan in the middle; Judah and Simeon in the south; Gad and Reuben east of the Jordan. Philistine cities sit on the southern coast. Towns such as Dan, Hazor, Shechem, Shiloh, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron are marked.
Israel in the time of the Judges. Boundaries are approximate. Select the map to view it full size.

Verses: Judges; Ruth; 1 Sam 1–7 Conquest & Settlement

Regions on this map:

Sources and limits

  • The tribal areas are approximate. We drew them from the town lists in Joshua 13–19, and Judges 1 shows that many were not fully held.
  • Open circles mark sites that are debated: Mizpah (Benjamin), Gath, Gibeah and Kedesh Naphtali. Ophrah’s site is unknown, so its ring is placed by us.
  • The map shows no dates.
  • Built by Bible Building Blocks from public-domain and open data: elevation from the US Geological Survey, coastlines and rivers from Natural Earth, and town points from Wikidata. Names follow the World English Bible, each checked against its verse. Shorelines are modern.

The Divided Kingdom: Israel and Judah

Map of the two kingdoms after Solomon. Israel, shaded blue, covers the north from Dan to Bethel and Jericho, with Samaria, Shechem, Tirzah and Megiddo. Judah, shaded gold, covers the south with Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Lachish and Beersheba. The Philistine cities are on the coast, and Syria, Ammon, Moab and Edom lie to the north and east.
The kingdoms of Israel and Judah at one time. Areas are approximate. Select the map to view it full size.

Verses: 1 Kgs 12–22; 2 Kgs 1–17 Divided Kingdom

Regions on this map:

Sources and limits

  • One picture stands for about 200 years, and the borders changed. The line drawn is after Asa built Geba and Mizpah (1 Kings 15:17–22).
  • The kingdom areas are approximate, drawn by us from 1–2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Jericho is shaded as Israel only because a man of Bethel rebuilt it in Ahab’s day (1 Kings 16:34).
  • Open circles mark debated sites: Ramoth Gilead, Penuel, Mizpah, Kedesh and Gath.
  • Built by Bible Building Blocks from public-domain and open data: elevation from the US Geological Survey, coastlines and rivers from Natural Earth, and town points from Wikidata. Names follow the World English Bible, each checked against its verse. Shorelines are modern.