The relationship between the Wadi of Egypt and the Euphrates River holds significant geographical and historical importance. These two prominent landmarks define the boundaries of regions with deep historical roots, particularly in the context of ancient Israel and the lands promised in biblical texts.
Map of the Fertile Crescent showing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Defining the Promised Land
Some 3,500 years ago the Canaanites inhabited the land that God promised to give to the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God promised that He would give the land of Israel to the Jewish people as an eternal possession. The promise was unconditional. God did bring the Israelites into the Promised Land forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The map shows the area that Israel controlled at that time. It almost matched the boundaries of the land that God had promised. Gaza was not taken from the Philistines in Solomon’s day, and the land of the Canaanites promised to Abraham included the coastal strip all the way to Sidon - the city of Canaan’s first-born son.[1 Chronicles 1:13, Genesis 10:19] Areas of Moab, Ammon and Edom, east of the Dead Sea, were occupied by King Solomon but were not part of the Promised Land. 1 Chronicles 1:13 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites ...Genesis 10:19... Israel entered the Promised Land and hundreds of years later, under King Solomon, they occupied a large part, but not all, of the territory which God had promised to them. Israel was required to obey the Law of Moses and, when they failed, God thrust them out of the land. However, God’s promise that they will inherit the land still stands. We see the Jews being brought back to the Promised Land in our day. We expect that God’s word will be fulfilled and that they will enter their full inheritance.
The boundaries of the Promised Land, as described in the Bible, stretch from the Red Sea (in the region of Eilat) to the Sea of the Philistines (the Mediterranean Sea near Gaza). This southern line extends to a point called the River of Egypt, or the Wadi of Egypt, which is not the Nile River, on the Great Sea, another name for the Mediterranean.
Key biblical references include:
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- Exodus 23:31: “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.”
- Ezekiel 47:19: “On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea."
- Numbers 34:6: “Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your boundary on the west.”
- Ezekiel 47:19: “On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath."
- Genesis 15:18: “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates ...”
- Deuteronomy 11:24: “Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea.”
From the Euphrates River in the north, extending south, past Damascus, along the slopes on the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth, what we know as the Golan Heights today. The Jordan River rises in the mountains of Lebanon and runs south to the Sea of Galilee. At the southern end of the Sea of Galilee the Jordan River flows out and along the Jordan Valley to enter the Dead Sea.
- Numbers 34:11-12: “The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth. Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.”
- Ezekiel 47:18: “On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Eastern Sea and as far as Tamar."
Although some of the geographical reference points mentioned in Scripture are difficult for us to identify, God knows the full area into which He is going to bring Israel. The Bible refers to significant points that we can identify - the Sea of Kinnereth being the Sea of Galilee; the Salt Sea being the Dead Sea; and places such as Gaza and Sidon, where there is no doubt about the ancient location. This area would encompass the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, also called Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. Certain world leaders may be looking for the establishment of a Palestinian state separate from Israel, but God’s Word makes a different judgment. Joel 3:1-2“In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
The Euphrates River
The Euphrates River, the longest river in southwest Asia, stretches approximately 1,740 miles (2,800 km). It is one of the two main constituents of the Tigris-Euphrates river system. The river originates in Turkey and flows southeast across Syria and through Iraq. Formed by the confluence of the Karasu and Murat rivers in the Armenian Highland, the Euphrates descends between major ranges of the Taurus Mountains to the Syrian plateau. It then flows through western and central Iraq to unite with the Tigris River and continues, as Shatt Al-Arab, to the Persian Gulf. Its valley was heavily irrigated in ancient times, and many great cities, some of whose ruins remain, lined its banks. With the Tigris, it defines an area known historically as Mesopotamia.
The Tigris–Euphrates River System
The Wadi of Egypt
One traditional Jewish understanding of the term Naḥal Mizraim is that it refers to the Nile. According to Exodus 13:18-20, the locality from which the Israelites journeyed after departing Egypt was Sukkot. The name Sukkot means "palm huts" in Hebrew and was translated Al-Arish in Arabic. It lies in the vicinity of Arish, the hometown of the Jewish commentator Saadia Gaon who identified Naḥal Mizraim with the Wadi al-Arish. The Israeli archaeologist Nadav Na'aman has suggested in papers published in 1979 and 1995 that Wadi Gaza, or Nahal Besor, is the Brook of Egypt.
The "river of Egypt" was close to the Philistine villages. And we know from reading many geography texts that this phrase, "river of Egypt" referred to the Wadi of Egypt located in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula, halfway between southern Gaza and the border of the country of Egypt.
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Historical Fulfillment
In order to discern whether, or rather how, these land promises were fulfilled, we turn to the holy scriptures. David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the River Euphrates [recover his domain at the River]. And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt... (1 Kings 4:21; see also 2 Chronicles 7:8, 9:26) There is absolutely no doubt that the Promises to Abram were fulfilled by the time of the reigns of David and Solomon! All the land from Euphrates unto the Wadi of Egypt were occupied...and probably taxed!
Note The "rivers" mentioned in the northern/southern borders are not the Jordon nor the Nile. Any Geographic text or handbook will underscore this fact.
Map of the Middle East highlighting the location of the Euphrates River and the general area of the Wadi of Egypt.
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