God specifies the boundaries the Israelites are to inherit in Numbers 34—I wonder if this is in response to people wanting land outside of the boundaries He'd promised. His boundaries are such that the southern part of the land was bordered by Edom and the dead sea near the wilderness of Zin. The western border border is given as the great sea, which we now call the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border was to include Mount Hor (where Aaron died). The eastern border was to go from Hazarenan to Shepham. This is thought to be the oasis of Qaryatein or Hadr near Mount Hernon.[1]

As we dig deeper, it should be noted that Numbers 16:2 tells us that at the time of Korah's rebellion, there were 250 princes. Thus, the criteria to become a prince had to be different than what we expect today. With 250 princes, each tribe would have had roughly 20 princes each. I find it unlikely that any one family had 20 sons. Considering the fact that even as twins the Bible dictates Esau as older than Jacob, I also doubt there were 20 men considered eldest in the tribe.

Numbers 1:16 tells us that the princes were appointed from the community, so likely, the princes were simply appointed and not chosen through bloodline the way European royalty is.

The land given to the 9.5 tribes listed above is almost synonymous with modern Israel. The exceptions, of course, are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Note that Israel of today also includes some of Edom, while Israel originally did not.) To state the obvious, the relationship between these three territories (Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank) is extremely volatile.

One issue that fuels the fire is that the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were there before the nation of Israel was created. They are descended from the Philistines,[6] who are mentioned as early as Genesis 21:32. In Joshua 13:1-2, it is confirmed that the Israelites were commanded to take the Philistines' land as well. However, just as God warned, the constant disbelief of the Israelites enabled their capture or occupation by several other nations (such as Rome and Babylon) over time. While Jewish people lived in this area after the fall of Israel and before the recreation of Israel in 1948, they were a minority. Like the Canaanites and Philistines of Moses and Joshua's era, the point of view of those living there today is that their home land has been taken from them—which is true. From the Jewish point of view, and much of the Christian world, the land belongs to the Jews by the mandate of God. As you can guess, this creates a great deal of tension and animosity.

Another major issue that is embedded in this conflict is the issue of the Holy Land. Israel is considered the Holy Land for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Jerusalem, which sits directly on the border of the West Bank and Israel, is God's holy city and the original location of the Jewish Temple as well as the Dome of the Rock. The destruction of the Temple in 70 AD marks the end of Jewish rule in Israel, but also the end of their ability to practice Judaism as written since there is no longer a Temple for God to receive the sacrifices.[7]

In the 7th century AD, the Dome of the Rock was built on Temple Mount as a shrine for Islam. The Dome of the Rock is the oldest shrine in Islam, whereas Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims believe that this is the spot at which Muhammad ascended, while Jews identify this location as the place where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac and the location of the Temple. Not only is the site home to the Dome of the Rock, but it is also the location of Al-Aqṣā mosque.[8]

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