How should the phrase "Promised Land" be understood? In order to get a complete picture of this, we will open several dictionaries, as well as get acquainted with history and look at the source of religious knowledge. It is no secret that today many of us perceive this expression as phraseologism. When interpreting the phrase "Promised Land", its meaning depends on the context in which it is used.
Usually in our time, this phrase implies the fulfillment of a promise, receiving a reward, a dream come true. For example, a person strives to achieve a certain goal, which in the future will bring him prosperity and success.
The achieved goal brings peace and joy, happiness and enjoyment, complete spiritual satisfaction. The "Promised Land" is a kind of Paradise on Earth in which a fairy tale becomes true. In such meanings, we are used to interpret this symbol. The term in question also has religious and historical roots.
It is about feasible desires or dreams. These are events taking place in the life of a person or even a whole nation. In particular, the Bible tells of how God promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. This can be found in the fifteenth chapter of Genesis and other books of the Bible. In fact, the "Promised Land" promised to the Jewish people is part of the "Old Testament", the contract of man with God.
This person is Abraham, as well as all his descendants - Jews. New Testament Christian believers, regardless of nationality, consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Abraham and, on this basis, expect to receive certain benefits. This is written, for example, in the epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Jews. This is chapter 11, verse 9.
All of the above can be read in a variety of dictionaries. The Philosophical Dictionary says: "The book of Exodus states that milk and honey flow in the promised land of Canaan ." This place geographically extended from Egypt to the Euphrates River. The authors of the Historical Dictionary specify that before entering this land, Jews were forced to wander the desert for forty years. Then commander Joshua made several successful battles and conquered Canaan with his warriors. However, not all the land known today as Palestine was conquered.
Abraham is actually the first of the Jews. It was with him that God originally made the so-called "Old Testament", which was then repeatedly updated with his descendants. The covenant was bilateral and included certain conditions that partners had to fulfill.
The essence of the Covenant can be expressed as follows: “If a people obeys the commandments, obeys the Almighty in everything, then God will facilitate the entry of this people into the promised land.” According to the Covenant, it was impossible to worship pagan gods. These were the names of the Deities of any nations that meet on the path of nomadic Jews.
"Promised Land" means "Promised." In this new land, the people had to find a calm, happy and comfortable existence. Both sides are required to fulfill the Covenant forever. The people of Israel are instructed to keep the commandments of their God and fulfill His recommendations, and the Lord promises to keep and protect the Jews.
Accordingly, when the aforementioned nation violated its obligations, various punishments fell upon its representatives. In particular, many Jews are scattered throughout the Planet, allegedly because of disobedience to the Lord. So, for the Jewish people we are talking about a certain geographical area - "Eretz Yisrael" (the land of Israel), as well as the area of the Gaza Strip, Judea and other areas called Palestine.
Thus, we examined the concept of this term from several perspectives. For most modern people, the most acceptable spiritual meaning of the phrase "Promised Land."