The promise that God made to Joshua in Joshua 1:4 states: “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.” This refers to the land that God promised to give to the people of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. The key boundaries mentioned are Lebanon in the north, the Euphrates River in the east, the territory of the Hittites in the south, and the Mediterranean Sea (“Great Sea”) in the west.
The question is, did Israel ever fully obtain all of this promised territory at any point in its history? There are a few key periods to consider:
The conquest under Joshua
During the initial conquest of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership, Israel was not able to completely subdue all of the territory described in Joshua 1:4. The book of Joshua records that Joshua “took the whole land” (Joshua 11:23), but it also records the failure to drive out the inhabitants completely, especially in the regions of the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hivites, Jebusites and others (Joshua 13:1-7, 15:63, etc.). So the conquest was only partial.
The united monarchy under David and Solomon
Later, during the united monarchy under Kings David and Solomon, Israel controlled more territory, but still did not quite attain the full boundaries outlined in Joshua 1:4. David conquered kingdoms like Moab, Edom, Ammon, Philistia, and parts of Syria (2 Samuel 8, 10). Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt (1 Kings 4:21). However, complete control was not established over all the Hittite territories to the south.
The divided monarchy of Israel and Judah
After Solomon, the kingdom divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. In this period, the territory controlled by Israel and Judah fluctuated as they struggled with wars against Aram-Damascus to the north and engaged in conflicts with each other. They did not control all the land described in Joshua 1:4.
The empires of Assyria, Babylon and Persia
The northern kingdom of Israel was eventually conquered by Assyria in 722 BC. The southern kingdom of Judah was later conquered by Babylon in 586 BC. Both kingdoms went into exile under foreign empires. During the subsequent Persian period after 539 BC, Jews returned from exile and lived in the much smaller Persian province of Yehud, far short of Joshua 1:4’s boundaries.
The Hasmonean kingdom
Later, during the Hasmonean period starting in the 2nd century BC, the Jewish kingdom briefly expanded and controlled a larger territory. The Hasmoneans conquered Edom and parts of Ammon and Moab to the east. They briefly took control of parts of Lebanon and coastal Syria to the north. But they did not control the full territory described in Joshua 1:4.
The first century AD under Rome
By the first century AD, the land was under control of the Roman Empire. The Herodian client kings ruled Judea, Samaria, Galilee and surrounding regions, but still did not have the full boundaries outlined in Joshua 1:4.
In summary, at no point in Israel’s history did they ever fully control all the territory described in the promise to Joshua. At best, during the united monarchy period, they controlled closer to the full area, but other periods saw a much smaller territorial control. Though God promised this land to Israel, they struggled to maintain control over it throughout their history amidst wars, shifting powers, exiles and returns.
Some reasons Israel did not attain the full territory
Why did Israel never fully obtain the territorial promise in Joshua 1:4? Here are some contributing factors:
- The Canaanites and other groups were difficult to completely drive out of the land during the initial conquest (Joshua 13:1-7, 15:63).
- Israel’s disobedience led to God holding back on the full land gift he had promised (Judges 2:20-23).
- The arrival of powerful empires like Assyria and Babylon overwhelmed Israel and Judah’s territorial control.
- Lack of unity and infighting among Israelites and Judahites hindered their ability to gain large territories.
- Judah’s return from Babylonian exile was to a small province under Persian imperial control.
Though God had promised Israel this land, maintaining control over it depended on their faithfulness to God and unity as a people – things they struggled with throughout their history. Geopolitics also limited what territory Israel could realistically govern.
The significance of the promise
Though Israel never attained the full territorial boundaries defined in Joshua 1:4, the promise still held significance in several ways:
- It defined the maximum ideal extent of the “promised land” God intended to give Israel.
- It gave Israel a goal to strive for, even if complete conquest was beyond their grasp.
- It displayed God’s ultimate sovereignty and authority over all nations in the region.
- The initial conquests under Joshua secured key initial territorial footholds in Canaan for Israel’s dwelling.
- The promise remained an eschatological hope for Israel’s future. Prophets foretold of a day when Israel would finally inhabit the full land in peace (Isaiah 27:12-13).
So while imperfectly fulfilled throughout most of Israel’s history, the territorial promise in Joshua 1:4 remained important as a declaration of God’s intent for Israel to inhabit and possess an extensive territory in Canaan.
New Testament perspectives on the land promise
How does the New Testament view the territorial promise of Joshua 1:4? The New Testament does not dwell extensively on the physical land boundaries of Israel’s possession. But here are some insights:
- Jesus’ arrival shifted the focus from a geographic kingdom to the spiritual kingdom of God that he inaugurated (Luke 17:20-21).
- God’s promises were ultimately intended to bless all nations, not just give land to Israel (Luke 2:32, Acts 3:25).
- Complete fulfillment of God’s territorial promises was typologically linked to eternal life in Christ (Hebrews 11:8-16).
- The land promise pointed to the more important “heavenly country” that faithful people seek (Hebrews 11:13-16).
The New Testament sees the physical land promise to Israel finding greater fulfillment spiritually in Christ and the gospel. Jesus fulfilled Israel’s destiny in many regards, so complete territorial control was no longer as essential. Inheriting the world through faith became more important than possessing geographic Israel.
Some conclusions
In summary, we can make the following conclusions regarding Israel’s territorial promise:
- God intended for Israel to possess the full land boundaries described in Joshua 1:4.
- However, Israel only partially attained this territory during its ancient history.
- A confluence of factors – including warfare, politics, disobedience – prevented the complete fulfillment of the land promise.
- Despite its imperfect fulfillment, the promise remained important as a declaration of God’s intent for Israel.
- The New Testament shifts focus away from physical land to spiritual inheritance through faith in Christ.
- Complete fulfillment awaits the future establishment of Christ’s eternal kingdom encompassing all creation.
So in regards to the question “Has Israel’s territory ever encompassed the promise in Joshua 1:4?”, the answer based on Scripture is no. But the promise remained meaningful in declaring God’s plans for Israel, even if imperfectly fulfilled during their ancient history.
