What is the promised land? One of the usual idioms used in everyday speech? A real geographical and historical place? We will talk about this in this article.

God's promise

V modern society the phrase "promised land" has long become a stable expression, saying which, people represent some kind of fairy-tale country, which you can get into after passing difficult trials. In other words, it has become synonymous with paradise. To understand the very essence of the expression "promised land", it is necessary to plunge into the history of the Jewish people and open the Bible - the oldest book of mankind. The biblical Old Testament tells us about the origin of the Jewish people and its history. According to his books: Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy - God made a promise to a man named Abraham that his descendants would live on their own land, in which there would be everything for wonderful life. "The land in which milk and honey flows" - this is how the Creator described it in a conversation with the biblical patriarch. Abraham is considered the first Jew. The Promised Land, in other words, the promised one, is not just a gift from God to man. She was the subject of a covenant, a contract. The Creator demanded from the descendants of Abraham the observance of His commandments, respect and worship only to Him, rejecting paganism. In return, the nomads must receive their habitat for a peaceful life and prosperity - this is the promised land. Its possession was dependent on the obedience of the Jews to God.

Geographic aspect

Do we have today the exact coordinates of the location of this territory promised by the Creator? There are two points of view on this. According to the first, any territory can become the promised land. Supporters of this version (who, by the way, are not so many) argue that this concept is mystical, and not physical. Some even argue that Columbus was looking for a new promised land, receiving material assistance from wealthy Jews who were oppressed in Europe. However, no evidence of this has ever been found. The second, main, version is based on the Bible, on a literal understanding of the texts of the Old Testament. These are the territories of modern Israel, the Gaza Strip, Judea, part of Syria, the West Bank of the Jordan River, Lebanon and Jordan. The text of the Pentateuch says that the promised land originates from the coast mediterranean sea and ends at the Jordan River. This region is often referred to by a common name - Palestine, and another

name - Eretz Israel. Supporters of the second theory argue that no other place can bear the title of "Promised Land". The meaning of the words of the Creator, recorded in the Bible, is taken literally - God did not speak about another territory and did not conclude a covenant. The spiritual connection of the Jews with the region of Eretz-Israel, promised to their forefather Abraham, is recognized. On this basis, a significant part of Israeli society, which adheres to conservative views, openly advocates the return of the entire territory of the "Promised Land" to their people, which is the reason for tense relations with the Arab population living in Palestine now.

Bible encyclopedia arch. Nicephorus

promised land

(Gen 15:18, Ex 33:1, etc.) - the land of Canaan, promised by the Lord as an inheritance to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. See Palestine.

Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

promised land

The biblical name of Palestine, as a country given into the possession of the chosen people of Israel in fulfillment of its ancient promise to Abraham and other ancestors of the people. See Palestine.

Bible Dictionary to the Russian Canonical Bible

promised land

promised land (Heb.11:9) - the land promised by the Lord to the descendants of Abraham (Gen.15:18). It stretched from the borders of Egypt to the Euphrates, but is better known as the land of Canaan. The Jews, after forty years of wandering through the deserts, entered it under the leadership of I. Navin, but they were far from able to conquer everything. She is a symbol of the spiritual destiny of the believer and the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat. 11:12). ( cm.,b)

Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words of the 18th-19th centuries

promised land

, ◘ THE PROMISED LAND ( book.).

1. Palestine, a fertile, God-promised land, where, according to the biblical legend, God brought the Jews, leading them out of Egyptian captivity.

2. Desired, fertile land ( portable).

* [Feklusha] Beauty is wondrous!.. Live in the promised land. // Ostrovsky. Thunderstorm //; I call her, the desired one: Let's fly away with you again To that promised land where love crowned us. // Nekrasov. Poems // /; You need a vision of the promised land in order to have the strength to move. The promised land during the French offensive was Moscow, during the retreat was the homeland. // Lev Tolstoy. War and Peace // *

promised land

promised land
An expression from the Bible that means Palestine, where God, by virtue of his promise, brought the Jews from Egypt, where they languished in captivity. According to the myth, God told Moses that he would bring the Jews "to a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow" (Exodus, 3, 8 and 17). Promised, that is, promised, this land is called in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Jews (11, 9). Used in the meaning: a place where someone aspires, dreams of getting; a place where contentment and happiness reign; in general, anything desired, which seems to be the highest happiness.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

promised land

An expression from the Bible that means Palestine, where God, by virtue of his promise, brought the Jews from Egypt, where they languished in captivity. According to the myth, God told Moses that he would bring the Jews "to a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow" (Exodus, 3, 8 and 17). Promised, that is, promised, this land is called in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Jews (11, 9). Used in the meaning: a place where someone aspires, dreams of getting; a place where contentment and happiness reign; in general, anything desired, which seems to be the highest happiness.

Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004

See what the "Promised Land" is in other dictionaries:

The Outer Limits: The Promised Land Genre fiction ... Wikipedia

Earthly paradise, Elysium, Eden, milky rivers, kissel banks, paradise Dictionary of Russian synonyms. promised land n., number of synonyms: 5 earthly paradise (6) ... Synonym dictionary

◘ promised land- ◘ THE PROMISED LAND / (book). 1. Palestine, a blessed, God-promised land, where, according to the biblical legend, God brought the Jews, leading them out of Egyptian captivity. 2. Desired, fertile land (portable). [Feklu sha] Wonderful beauty! … Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words from the works of Russian literature of the 18th-19th centuries

promised land- only ed. , a stable combination 1) So in the Bible the land of Canaan is called, where milk and honey flows, promised (promised) by God to Abraham, i.e. Palestine, where God brought the Jews from Egypt, fulfilling his promise. 2) book. The place where someone... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

promised land- Delight. 1. A fabulously attractive place where anyone wants to go. In order to walk a thousand miles, a person needs to think that there is something good beyond these thousand miles. You need a vision of the promised land in order to ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

THE PROMISED LAND- this is how the Bible calls “the land of Canaan”, “where milk and honey flows” (Ex. 3:8), promised (promised) by God to Abraham ... Atheistic Dictionary

promised land- vow / land; Promised / nnaya land (country), book. About a fertile place where happiness reigns; about the long-awaited haven. Here it is, my land oh ah! Far away land oh ah. Edge o., where are you? According to the biblical legend, the country promised to the Israelites by God, ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Bible. dilapidated and New testaments. Synodal translation. Bible encyclopedia arch. Nicephorus.

The promised land, the promised (foreign) desirable, long awaited with impatience. To see the promised land (foreigner) to achieve the desired goal. Wed He silently and thoughtfully pointed with his hand into the distance ... there, between the fields, the road wound like a snake and ran away ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

promised land- the promised land (Heb.11:9) the land promised by the Lord to the descendants of Abraham (Gen.15:18). It stretched from the borders of Egypt to the Euphrates, but is better known as the land of Canaan. The Jews, after forty years of wandering through the deserts, entered it under ... ... Complete and detailed Bible Dictionary for the Russian canonical Bible

Books

• The Promised Land, Jules Massenet. Reprinted music edition of Massenet, Jules`La terre promise`. Genres: Sacred oratorios; Oratorios; religious works; For 3 voices, mixed chorus, orchestra; For voices and chorus with orchestra;…

[Greek γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας], the biblical name (Heb 11.9) of the land (on the territory of Canaan), promised by God to the Old Testament patriarchs and their descendants - the people of Israel, to which they received after the exodus from Egypt (see also Art. Israel of old). In many languages ​​of the world this expression has entered into figurative meaning- as an indication of a country, a place where someone really wants to go.

In Russian In biblical texts, the word "earth" is usually translated by Heb. words and . Designation "Z. o.", which correctly expresses the main theological ideas of the biblical text, does not have exact matches in the OT (there is an expression "holy land" () (Zech 2.12; 2 Macc 1.7; cf .: Ex 3.5)). In those places of the biblical text where in Rus. the translation says that God gives a promise about the earth, i.e. the expression "God said" () is usually transmitted. In addition, God vows () to bring Israel to this land () or to give () it to Israel. Israel's attitude to this land is expressed by the names "lot" () (Numbers 26.52-56; Jos 11.23; 13.7-8, etc.), "possession" () (Lev 14.34; Deut 32.49 ) and “place of rest” () (Deut. 12.9; cf.: 25.19) along with the corresponding verb forms.

The boundaries of this territory are not precisely defined in the EO. They are most extensive in the promise of Genesis 15.18: "... from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates", but in most other places it is only said that this is "the land of the Canaanites" (Ex 3.17; Numbers 34.2 ) or "Amorites" (Deut. 1. 7), i.e. Z. o. includes the territory east of the Jordan (cf.: Num. 32.1 ff.; Deut. 2.24 ff.; Jos. 13.8-33; 22; Ps. 135.11-12; 136.19-22).

This land belongs to Yahweh. It is called His “inheritance, inheritance” () (1 Kings 26.19; 2 Kings 14.16; Jer 16.18; 50.11) and “the land of the Lord” (Is 14.2; cf.: 2 Chron 7. 20; Joshua 22.19). About the land east of the Jordan, the Lord says: “Gilead you are with me…” (Jer 22:6). With particular clarity, this thought is expressed in the words of the Lord addressed to the people: “The land must not be sold forever, for the land is mine: you are strangers and settlers with me” (Lev 25:23). The precepts of the Sabbath and Jubilee years in Lev 25 are based on the notion that this land belongs to Yahweh. earth (Jer 2.7: “... you have entered and defiled my land, and made my property an abomination”; Jer 16.18: “And I will repay them first of all for their iniquity and for their deep sin, because they defiled my land They have filled My inheritance with the corpses of their vile ones and with their abominations. People say about Israel that "they are the people of the Lord and came out of his land" (Ezek 36:20). Yahweh does not tolerate the invasion of other nations into His land. He "speaks a word" against Edom and the nations "who have appointed My land for their possession" (Ezek 36:5). Prop. Joel speaks of the invaders as a people who “came to the land” of the Lord (Joel 1.6; cf.: 2.18; 3.2). mine and trample him on my mountains” (Isaiah 14:25).

The OT emphasizes that Israel did not receive the land on their own merit, but as a gift from God (Deut. 1:36 et al.). Because of the sins of the former inhabitants of this land, Yahweh expelled these peoples and gave the land to the Israelites (Deut. 1.8, etc.). The land belonging to Yahweh and abounding in God's gifts is described as "a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow" (Ex 3:8; cf. Num 14:7; Deut 1:25; 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; Jer 11:5; 32:22). Deut 8:7-10 sings of the springs of the waters, the fertility of this land, the abundance of food, and the precious metals. The Lord constantly “cares” for the land: “For the land into which you are going to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you came out, where you, having sowed your seed, watered [it] with your feet, as oil garden; but the land into which you are crossing in order to possess it is a land with mountains and valleys, and from the rain of heaven it will be filled with water, a land for which the Lord your God takes care of: the eyes of the Lord your God are unceasingly on it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year” (Deut 11:10-12). It is called a "beautiful country" (Dan 8:9; cf. 11:16), a "desirable land, a most beautiful heritage of many nations" (Jer 3:19).

In the Pentateuch

The promise of the land to the Old Testament patriarchs is one of the central themes of the Pentateuch, connected with the broader idea of ​​the covenant that Yahweh made with the patriarchs and the people. The Lord gives Abraham a promise of numerous offspring and blessings on the condition that he leave his native land in Mesopotamia "into the land that I will show you", "and I will make of you great people and I will bless you and exalt you your name and you will be a blessing; I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:1-3). Later it is said that the unknown land, to which Abraham, who believed the word of promise, must go, is the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:6-7). The promise of possession of this land is repeatedly repeated to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 13:15; 15:7, 18; 17:8; 22:17; 26:3; 28:4, 13; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24; Ex 3:8; 6:4-8; 13:5; 32:13; 33:1; Num 10:29; 14:23; 32:11; Deut 6:18:23; 8:1 ; 9.5, 28; 10.11; 11.8-9, 21; 26.3, 15; 28.11; 31.7, 20; 34.4; compare: Nav 1.6; 5.6 ; Court 2. 1). But, despite this, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live in this land as “strangers” (Gen. 23.4; cf.: 17.8; 26.3; 28.4; 35.27; 36.7; 37. 1; Ex 6.4), until the family of Jacob, by the providence of God, leaves Canaan and again migrates to Egypt. Only a small piece of land - a field and a cave in Machpelah, where Abraham buried Sarah, becomes their permanent possession in Canaan and thus a sign of the future. fulfillment of the promise of God (Genesis 23). In Egypt, in the fertile but foreign land of Goshen, Israel becomes a numerous people (Gen 47:5-6; Ex 1).

At the beginning of the book Exodus The Israelites are already presented as a large nation, which is oppressed by the Egyptians. Moses becomes the chosen one of God and must lead them out of Egypt to the land promised to the patriarchs (Ex 3:7-8; 6:2-8). However, infidelity and murmuring become the reasons that the people cannot immediately enter Canaan (Numbers 14; 26.63-65; 32.6-15; Deut. 2.14-15); enduring suffering, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, until the whole generation of apostates died. K Z. o. a new generation of Israelites has arrived. Here, on the banks of the Jordan, Moses was allowed to see her only from a distance (Deut. 34:1-5). The law given through him by God already contains prescriptions that Israel must keep in the Z. o. Many of them regulate situations when Israel will live in this land (Lev 25:23). Among them are the laws on the Sabbath (Ex. 23.10-11; Lev. 25.1-7) and the year of jubilee (Lev. 25.8-55), on the firstfruits (Ex. 23.16, 19; 34.22, 26 ; Lev 2.12; 23.10; 28.26; Numbers 18.12; Deut 18.4; 26.10).

Life in the Z. o. is the central theme of 3 farewell speeches of Moses (Deut. 1-4; 5-28; 29-30) on the plains of Moab before entering the Z. o. The promise of the earth is understood in them as key event the entire story of the patriarchs. The words “the land which the Lord promised with an oath to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to them and their descendants” are quite common (Deut. 1.8, 35; 6.10; 8.1; 10.11; 11.9 ; 19.8; 26.3; 30.20; 31.7, 23). Now the Lord intends to fulfill the oath given to the fathers that Israel will be brought to the land of Canaan, which they will possess. God will bring the former inhabitants of this land under Israel. “... The Lord your God is leading you to a good land, to a land where streams of water, springs and lakes come out of valleys and mountains, to a land [where] wheat, barley, vines, fig trees and pomegranates, in a land where there are olive trees and honey, a land where you will eat your bread without scarcity and lack nothing, a land where stones are iron, and out of whose mountains you will hew copper” (Deuteronomy 8:7 -9). But in Z. o. Israel is given a new task: to justly govern this land according to the law of Moses (the prescriptions are set forth in Deuteronomy 12-26).

Deuteronomy repeatedly emphasizes that Israel does not own the land because this people is pious and sinless. “When it will drive them out (the former owners of this land. - Auth.) The Lord your God, on your behalf, do not say in your heart that for my righteousness the Lord has led me to take possession of this [good] land, and that for the wickedness of these peoples The Lord drives them out from before you; not because of your righteousness, nor because of the uprightness of your heart, are you going to inherit their land, but because of the wickedness [and iniquity] of these peoples, the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and to fulfill the word that the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Deut 9:4-5). The land was given by the good will of the Lord, but it can be possessed only in obedience to God. “Keep fast the commandments of the Lord your God, and his statutes and ordinances, which he commanded you; and do what is just and good in the sight of the Lord [your God], that it may be well with you, and that you may enter and possess the good land, which the Lord promised your fathers with an oath” (Deut 6:17-18). Any deviation from the instructions and regulations given by the Lord, and especially the sin of idolatry, which was characteristic of the former owners of this land, will bring upon Israel the curses provided for in the covenant, including the most terrible - the return to Egypt (Deut. 28. 68) . Moses says more than once that the people should learn the law. “Behold, I taught you ordinances and laws, as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you should do so in the land that you enter into to possess it” (Deut. 4.5, 14; cf.: 5.31; 6.1; 11.31-32). And further: “These are the ordinances and laws that you must strive to fulfill in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you as a possession, all the days that you live on that land” (Deuteronomy 12: 1). The commandment to honor parents promises long life in the land to those who keep it.

In Deuteronomy 28, Moses pronounces blessings that will "come" upon Israel if they keep the commandments. The Lord will send “a blessing in your barns and in every work of your hands; and bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 28:8); and will give “abundance in all good things, in the fruit of your womb, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your fields on the earth…” (Deut 28:11). But if the people deviate from the commandments, the curses of the Lord will overtake them: “Cursed [will be] the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, the fruit of your oxen and the fruit of your sheep” (Deut 28:18). One of these curses is “you will be cast out of the earth…” (Deut. 28:63). The complete devastation of the earth as a result of the disobedience of the people is discussed in Deuteronomy 28. 26: "And your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts, and there will be no one to drive them away." The same is said in Lev 26. If the people act according to God’s instructions, the Lord “will send peace to [your] land, lie down, and no one will disturb you, I will drive out fierce beasts from [your] land, and the sword will not pass through your land.” (Lev 26.6); but if not, the land will not bear the expected fruits (Lev 26:20), Yahweh will devastate it (Lev 26:32), the people will be led away into enemy land, “and you will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will devour you” (Lev 26:32). 38).

in history books

(Jesus Nun, Judges, Kings) the life of Israel in Z. o. is judged according to the criterion of his fidelity to the law of Moses. The book of Joshua depicts the conquest of the land as a quick and general subjugation of the Canaanites in a holy war waged by Yahweh, who grants the land to Israel (chapters 1-12). By His command, Joshua distributes the land among all the tribes, clans and families of his people (chapters 13-22). However, Canaanite enclaves also remain (Josh 1:19-35; 3:1-6). When Israel disobeys the will of God, the land of Israel is attacked by enemies and the very possession of the Israelites is threatened. By the will of Yahweh, liberators (“judges”) “rise” among the people, who lead Israel in a holy war against enemies (eg, Joshua 3. 7-11). The story of Samson (chapters 13-16) shows how oppression by the Philistines intensifies when Israel departs from the law (chapters 17-21).

Departure from the law of the Lord and, as a result, the intensification of the onslaught of enemies, lead the people to a situation where it becomes necessary to introduce a monarchy. There is a vast empire of David and Solomon (2 Kings 2 - 3 Kings 11), later divided into 2 kingdoms, Israel and Judah (3 Kings 12), to-rye in 722 and 587/6. BC fall under the blows of enemies - the Assyrians and the Babylonians, respectively. The historical books give an assessment of the fidelity of the people of Israel and its kings to the law of the Lord, the model of which is the loyalty of King David. Beginning with Jeroboam I, Israel enters the path of apostasy and idolatry (2 Kings 17). The story of King Ahab's seizure of Naboth's "legacy" (1 Kings 21) shows that Canaanite ideas about land ownership posed a significant threat to Yahweh's land laws. In the history of the Kingdom of Judah, periods of loyalty to the law, especially under the kings Hezekiah (2 Kings 18. 1-8) and Josiah (2 Kings 22. 1 - 23. 28), are replaced by a time of falling away, which reached its highest point under King Manasseh (2 Kings 21. 1-18; 23. 26-27). Yahweh is faithful to His promises about the gift of the land to Israel, therefore the people who violated the law were taken into captivity, as before in Egypt.

For the books of Chronicles (Chronicles), close in their understanding of the history of Israel and its assessment of the early historical books, several are characteristic. a different view of the fulfillment of the promise of the land. The time of Joshua is reflected in few genealogical lists. The conquest of Canaan is not depicted at all; Joshua is only mentioned as living in the earth (1 Chronicles 7:27: "Non his son, Joshua his son"). As in the early history books, in Chronicles the actions of the kings who ruled after David and Solomon are judged according to their faithfulness to the law of Moses. At the same time, unlike the Book of Joshua and the books of Kings, the loyalty to the covenant of the entire people of Israel is not evaluated in any way. The chronicler does not deny that the strengthening of sin among the people led to the loss of land, the restoration of the temple community under the Persians. He understands King Cyrus as the mercy of God to Israel, who was in captivity, “until, in fulfillment of the word of the Lord, spoken through the mouth of Jeremiah, the earth celebrated its Sabbaths” (2 Chronicles 36.21). However, this theme is not central to the books of Chronicles.

In the books of the prophets

The theme of the promise of the land and the related theme of the fulfillment of the law of Moses by those living in the Earth's o. Israelites are also central to the prophets-writers until the end of the era of the Babylonian captivity. Prop. Amos accuses the owners of the land who oppress and drive out the small peasants from their paternal allotments: “... assemble on the mountains of Samaria and look at the great outrage in it and the oppression among it. They do not know how to do justice, says the Lord: by violence and robbery they lay up treasures in their halls ”(Amos 3. 9-10). The judgment of God will be revealed in the fact that the rich, like everyone else, will lose their land and be taken into captivity (Amos 4.1-3; 5.27; 6.7; 7.11; 9.4, 9, 15; Micah 1.16; 2.4; 4.10; 5.2). For the fact that they “do not get sick about the calamity of Joseph,” they “now will go ... into captivity at the head of the captives, and the rejoicing of the pampered will end” (Amos 6.7; cf.: 5.11; 8.4, 6). Prop. Micah describes with contrition the state of affairs in the Z. o.: “There are no more merciful on earth, there are no truthful among people; everyone builds coves to shed blood; each one sets up a net for his brother. Their hands are turned to know how to do evil; the ruler demands gifts, and the judge judges for bribes, but the nobles express the evil desires of their souls and pervert the matter ”(Micah 7. 2-3). “The heads of Jacob and the princes of the house of Israel”, who “should know the truth”, “eat the flesh of the people ... and tear off their skin” (Micah 3. 1, 3). But the Lord “will bring upon those who plot iniquity and take away people’s fields and homes… such a disaster that you will not cast off your neck, and you will not walk upright; for this is an evil time” (Micah 2:3).

The condemnation of the upper strata of society is the theme of the initial chapters of the Book of Prop. Isaiah. “The Lord has risen to judge - and stands to judge the nations. The Lord enters into judgment with the elders of his people and with their princes: you have laid waste the vineyard; stolen from the poor - in your homes; that you oppress my people and oppress the poor? says the Lord, the Lord of hosts” (Is 3:13-15). But those who get rich will not reach their goal, and "these many houses will be empty, large and beautiful - without inhabitants" (Is 5.9). "Woe" is proclaimed to unrighteous judges who violate the rights of the "feeble" (Is 10:2). Isaiah emphasizes the complete devastation and humiliation of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and of the entire Z. o. assir. army (Is 1.7-9, 24-25; 3.18-26; 5.26-30; 7.20; 10.5-6, etc.). “Your land is devastated; your cities are burned with fire; your fields in your eyes are eaten up by strangers; everything was desolate, as after being ravaged by strangers” (Isaiah 1:7). “And the Lord will remove the people, and great desolation will be on this earth” (Isaiah 6:12). “The wrath of the Lord of hosts will scorch the earth, and the people will become, as it were, food for fire; A man will not spare his brother” (Isaiah 9:19) (cf.: Micah 7:13 – “And that land will be a wilderness for the guilt of its inhabitants, for the fruits of their deeds”).

The prophets Hosea and Jeremiah, using images characteristic of the tradition of depicting the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Hos 11.1; 13.4; Jer 2.6; 7.22, 25; 31.32), praise the time of wandering in the wilderness (Hos 2 16-17; 9.10; 13.5; Jer 2.2, 6-7; 31.2-3) and accuse the people of unfaithfulness to God, who gave them the land (Oc 2.3-17; 4.1- 3; Jer 3. 1-2). The prophets see the expression of this infidelity in the service of the Israelites to the Baals of Canaan in order to influence the fertility of the earth with magical rituals (Hos 2.7-15; 4.14-15; 7.16; 9.10; 11.2; 13.1-2; Jer 2.4-8, 20-25; 3.1-5, 6-10; 5.7-8; 13.20-27). Like Amos and Micah, Hosea and Jeremiah also proclaim the judgment of God - the desolation of the land, its loss and the deportation of the people (Hos 8.13; 9.3, 6, 17; 10.6; 11.5; Jer 4.23-28; 5.14-17; 8.10; 9.10-15; 10.18-22; 12.7-13; 13.24; 15.2, 14; 38.2 etc.). If “correct your ways and your deeds, if you faithfully execute judgment ... you will not oppress the foreigner, orphans and widows, and shed innocent blood in this place, and you will not follow other gods to your own misfortune,” then the Lord will leave the people “ live in this place, on this earth” (Jer 7:5-7). Israel defiled the land with their sins (Jer 2:7), just as they once served foreign gods in their own land, they will serve strangers "in a land not yours" (Jer 5:19). Yahweh will “cast” them out of “this land” into a land they do not know (Jer 16:13; cf.: 22:26).

However, the prophets Amos, Micah, Hosea, and Jeremiah also predict the return of the people to the Z. o. (Am 9.9-15; Mic 4.6-7; 5.2-3; 7.11, 14, 15-20; Hos 11.11; Jer 12.15; 16.14-15; 23.7 -8; 29.10-14; 30.1-3, 10-11; 31; 32.15). "In those days" Yahweh will bring them back to the land, to which he gave them to their fathers (Jer 3:18; 24:6; 30:3). In the prophecies of Isaiah, the time of salvation is the time of the purification and exaltation of Jerusalem as the center of the Lord's reign over all the earth (Is 2.2-4 = Mic 4.1-3; 8.23 ​​- 9.6; 10.20-27; 11. 6-9; 12; 16. 4-5; 17. 12-14; 19. 16-25, etc.). In Isaiah 40-45, the dawn of a new age is announced to the Jews taken into Babylonian captivity (in western biblical criticism, these chapters are considered to belong to another author who lived during the period of return from captivity, the so-called Deutero-Isaiah (see Isaiah the prophet book)). The liberation of the people from captivity is portrayed here as a new outcome, and the obvious motif of the promise of the land is combined with the idea of ​​Jerusalem as the center of the world in eschatological time (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4). New Israel will be rescued from Babylon (Is 48.2-21), God will lead them through the wilderness, which will turn into a Garden of Eden (Is 40.3-5; 41.17-20; 42.14-16; 43. 14-21; 48.21; 51.3), to his land (Is 49.8-12). Jerusalem will become the center of the whole earth (Is 49:14-18; 52:1-10) when the Lord reigns in it (Is 52:8; Eze 43:1-5).

For the prophet Ezekiel, whose sermon refers to the period of the end of the Babylonian captivity, the theme of returning to Z. o. and the restoration of the temple community is the most important. The prophet knows that the earth is full of crimes: “... the wickedness of the house of Israel and Judah is great, very great; and this land is full of blood, and the city is full of iniquity,” because, according to the people themselves, “the Lord has left this land, and the Lord does not see” (Ezekiel 9:9). Ezekiel sees the main reason for the loss of land and the deportation of the people in idolatry, the infidelity of Israel to Yahweh (Ezek 6. 1-7; 13. 8; 14. 1-11; 16. 15-22). In the 20th ch. the prophet tells the story of Israel's election and fall: Yahweh swore to lead the people out of Egypt "into a land which...he had provided for them" (v. 6). When the Israelites came to the Z.O., they began to serve idols (v. 28), and for this reason they were taken captive (v. 23, 35). “The land of Israel” is described as “the beauty of all lands” (Ezek 20:6; cf. Jer 3:19; Dan 8:9; 11:16, 41, 45). However, Yahweh will not leave those who were taken captive: “... although I sent them away to the nations and though I scattered them over the lands, I will be for them a kind of sanctuary in those lands where they went” (Ezek 11.16 ). All of them will return to Z. o. (Eze 11.17-21; 20.40-44; 34.11-16; 37.15-28), even those who have already died in captivity, for Yahweh will "revive" them (Ezek 37.1-14) . When the time of captivity is fulfilled, Yahweh will gather them “from the nations and from the countries” (Ezekiel 20:34) and “on the high mountain of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there the whole house of Israel will serve Me, all, no matter how much there is on earth ; there I will receive them with good pleasure, and there I will require your offerings and your firstfruits with all your holy things” (Ezekiel 20:40). Yahweh Himself left His house and His city to go with the people to the Babylonian captivity (Ezek 8-11), but someday He will return with them to the temple (Ezek 43:1-5), to the land restored according to the project, set out in chapters 47-48. The main idea of ​​this plan is the equal distribution of land among all members of the people into "destinies according to the tribes of Israel", including "foreigners" living among the people (Ezek 47. 13-23).

In the books of the post-captive period

The loss by the Jews of independence and control over their land, according to researchers, was the reason that "in the literature of the post-captive period there is an obvious shift of interest from the earth to humanity in general" (Davies. 1974. P. 115). This is only partly true. After all, eschatological themes do not preclude the fact that prophecies are sometimes associated with a specific return to Palestine. Jeremiah predicts a historical, non-eschatological restoration of the former position in the Z. o.: he claims that after 70 years of captivity (Jer 25.11-12; 29.10) “houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land” (Jer 32 . 15). Decree of King Cyrus (1 Ezr 1. 2-4; 6. 1-5) and the subsequent return of the Jews to Z. o. and the restoration of the temple community in Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah can be seen as at least a partial fulfillment of the prophecy of the restoration of Israel and as a sign that God will reign in this land as King.

Where we are talking about the attitude of Israel towards the peoples (for example, in the Book of the prophet Jonah, if we agree with its post-captive dating) or about the possibility of the existence of a Jewish diaspora (for example, in the Book of Esther), Z. o. for the Jews, it still remains the main criterion for their identity as a people. In the late post-captivity prophecy, researchers note a smooth transition in the meaning of the concept from the word "country" to the word "land" (Hanhart. 1983. S. 131-133).

In the books of the New Testament

the land promised to the patriarchs and given to their descendants is spoken of in texts containing allusions to the OT. In Mt 2:20 the "angel of the Lord" is right. Joseph: “Get up, take the Child and His Mother and go to the land of Israel”, and Joseph fulfills what was said (v. 21). Here, the expression "land of Israel", rare even in the OT, occurs twice. Researchers believe that in this place a parallel is deliberately drawn between the journey to Egypt of the real Messiah of Israel and the former exodus of Israel from Egypt to the Z. o., called here “the land of Israel” (cf. Mt 2.15 and Hos 11.1). In the 3rd Beatitude (see also the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus Christ says: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Since all these commandments speak of those who inherit the blessings of the Kingdom of God, some interpreters believe that in the Beatitudes there is a certain spiritualization of the concept of Z. o. (cf.: Mk 10.14; Lk 22.28-30) (Strecker. 1983).

The word "earth" occurs 6 times in the speech of the first. Stephen (Acts 7.3, 4, 6, 29, 40), in which he reminds the Jews of the time of their wandering between Mesopotamia and Egypt, of the promise of the land to Abraham (Acts 7.3, 17) and its conquest by Joshua (Acts 7:45). Some interpreters see in the words of Stephen a negative assessment of the claims of the Jews of the 1st century. according to R. H., who advocated the independence of their land: Abraham did not see the fulfillment of the promise of the land (Acts 7.5); only in the wanderings in the wilderness was Israel close to God (Acts 7:44-45); in Z. o. the people fell into the sin of idolatry. Even the construction of the temple by King Solomon in Stephen's speech appears, if not contrary to the will of God, then an erroneous action that limits the power of God in the universe, for "The Most High does not dwell in temples made by hands" (Acts 7. 47-51).

Finally, the land promised to Abraham is mentioned in Hebrews (Heb 11:9; cf. v. 8). In the coming era of the New Testament, the Old Testament idea of ​​the real land of Canaan, promised to the patriarchs, loses its basis. Therefore, the Epistle emphasizes that Abraham and other patriarchs were "strangers and strangers", who only "sought for the fatherland" (Heb 11.14) and strived "for the best, that is, for heaven" (Heb 11.16).

Lit.: Brandon S. G. F. Jesus and the Zealots: A Study of the Political Factor in Primitive Christianity. Manchester, 1967; Davies W. D. The Gospel and the Land: Early Christianity and Jewish Territorial Doctrine. Berkeley, 1974; Marquardt F.-W. Die Juden und ihr Land. Hamburg, 1975; Brueggemann W. The Land: Place as Gift, Promise and Challenge in Biblical Faith. Phil., 1977; Williamson H. G. M. Israel in the Books of Chronicles. Camb., 1977; Ohler A. Israel, Volk und Land: Zur Geschichte d. wechselseitigen Beziehungen zwischen Israel u. seinem Land in Alttestamentlicher Zeit. Stuttg., 1979; Hanhart R. Das Land in der spätnachexilischen Prophetie // Das Land Israel in biblischer Zeit: Jerusalem-Symp. 1981 / Hrsg. G. Strecker. Gott., 1983, pp. 126–140; Strecker G. Das Land Israel in frühchristlicher Zeit // Ibid. S. 188–200.

Promised land

Promised land
From the Bible (Church Slavonic text). Translation: The promised land.
V Old Testament this is the name of the Canaanite land (an area in Palestine), where God wanted to bring the Jews out of Egypt, where they languished in
captivity. God promised Moses that he would bring his people “into a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow” (Exodus, ch. 3, verses 8 and 17). The same expression is also found in the New Testament, in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews (ch. 11, v. 9): “By faith he dwelt in the promised land, as in a stranger ...”
Allegorically: a place of fulfillment of all desires, a place where universal happiness, abundance and peace reign; the land where everyone aspires to go.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

See what the "Promised Land" is in other dictionaries:

See tir tairnigirib (Source: "Celtic mythology. Encyclopedia." Translated from English by S. Golova and A. Golova, Eksmo, 2002.) ... Encyclopedia of mythology

- "THE PROMISED LAND", AzerbaijanAzerbaijan, BARCHALY, 1992, color, 70 min. Drama. Cast: Alexander Mikhailichenko (see Alexander MIKHAILYCHENKO), Zemfira Narimanov, Ruslan Andreev, Katya Likhachenko. Directed by: Shahin Sinaria. Screenwriter: Shahin Sinaria Cinema Encyclopedia

Exist., Number of synonyms: 1 Israel (8) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

PROMISED LAND- 1. Israel. This refers to the territory of the Israeli state, located on the lands of ancient Palestine. book. ✦ The promised land is Israel. In the role of subject, additional, obst. The word order of the components is fixed. Recent developments in the Palestinian... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language

PROMISED LAND- [Greek. γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας], the biblical name (Heb 11.9) of the land (on the territory of Canaan), promised by God to the Old Testament patriarchs and their descendants to the people of Israel, to which they received after the Exodus from Egypt (see also Art. Israel of old). In many… Orthodox Encyclopedia

Promised land- this is the land on which Abraham entered into a Covenant (alliance) with God (Palestine, called at that time Canaan). It is believed that it is she who is intended for the Jews to live, because it was there that Moses led his people from Egyptian slavery. "Promised Land" ... ... Fundamentals of spiritual culture ( encyclopedic Dictionary teacher)

J. Palestine (according to the biblical legend). Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000...

G. A place to which one yearns passionately. Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern Dictionary Russian language Efremova

For the country most closely associated with the Land of Israel, see Israel. See also History of Israel. Satellite image of the Land of Israel, including parts of the State of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. January 2003 Land of Israel (Hebrew ... ... Wikipedia

Books

• The Promised Land, Erich Maria Remarque. The Promised Land is a novel published after the author's death. The fate of German emigrants in America. They fled from fascism, using all possible and impossible ways and means.…