Ask Dr. Couch (#428)

Dr. Couch, there seems to be a difference in the land promised to the Jews for the Kingdom, from Genesis 15:18 and Ezekiel 47:18. In Genesis, the extent of the land goes "from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates." But in Ezekiel, it only mentions "the land of Israel, shall be [to] the Jordan. … This is the east side." Why the difference?

ANSWER: The full extent of the land runs all the way to the Euphrates river in present day Iraq. But notice what is going on in Ezekiel 47:13-23!

The issue in Ezekiel is the inheritance of the "occupied" area during the 1,000 year Kingdom reign. The occupied land area just goes out to the Jordan to the east. It is the "inheritance" to live on. It is for the "occupied boundary" that would be inhabited during the Kingdom reign! It is to be "measured" out to the north, south, east, and west ("to the eastern sea": the Mediterranean).

It is this portion, over to the Jordan river, that is "divided by lot for an inheritance among yourselves and among the strangers who stay in your midst, who bring forth sons in your midst." These strangers (Gentiles) or foreigners "shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel" (v. 22).

The majority of the Kingdom population will reside in the core of the land, that just goes over to the Jordan river, though the full territory designated the Kingdom land will be all the way over to the Euphrates.

An illustration: I live in the country on an acre and a half piece of property. But our house and yard are confined to just about one third of that space. We do not mow or garden on the front one acre. Our entire land is just one and a half acres but we only live on a third of that!

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch