Isaiah 9:1
King James Version
9 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such
as was in her vexation,
when at the first he lightly afflicted
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
and afterward did more grievously afflict her
by the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan,
in Galilee of the nations.
From the previous article, we know who a "Galilean" is.
This article now looks into Galilee's location.
Where can it be found?
Christian Answers says:
"The land of Israel was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, which comprehended the whole northern section of the country (Acts 9:31), and was the largest of the three. It was the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish history."
"In the time of our Lord, Galilee embraced more than ⅓ of Western Israel, extending “from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west.”
Galilee was first mentioned in this verse:
Joshua 20:7
King James Version
7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali,
and Shechem in mount Ephraim,
and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron,
in the mountain of Judah.
King Solomon gifted King Hiram an "upland plain" among the mountains of the Tribe of Naphtali.
Dissatisfied with the gift, Hiram called it “the land of Cabul.”
The Jews called it Galil.
The Israelites eventually called it “Galilee of the Gentiles”:
Matthew 4:15
King James Version
15 The land of Zabulon,
and the land of Nephthalim,
by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles;
There is a Galilean Who really stands out.
Scripture calls Him "that HOLY thing".
Turn to the next post to know more.
Image: Free Bible Images
