One region, many names
The area commonly called the Holy Land has never had only one uncontested name. Terms changed as populations, borders, languages and empires changed, and several names have remained in use at the same time.
Canaan
Canaan is a major ancient name for the southern Levant. Biblical writings and other ancient records associate it with multiple Canaanite peoples and city-states. The scope of the name varied by period and source.
The biblical Exodus narrative describes Hebrews leaving Egypt and entering Canaan. Proposed dates and the narrative's relationship to archaeological evidence remain subjects of scholarly debate. Readers can review the site's guide to BCE dating.
The Land and the Promised Land
In Jewish and Christian scripture, “the Land” and “Promised Land” carry theological meanings connected with covenant and settlement. The books of Joshua and Judges preserve different literary pictures of the emergence of ancient Israel.
Interpretations range from treating the narratives as direct history to reading them alongside evidence that early Israelites developed among populations already living in Canaan. Related background appears in the essays on Hebrews in Canaan, inspiration, inerrancy and the book of Joshua.
Israel and the United Monarchy
Biblical tradition describes Saul, David and Solomon ruling a united kingdom of Israel. The narratives appear chiefly in Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. Historians continue to discuss the monarchy's scale and administration using textual and archaeological evidence.
Israel and Judah
Biblical accounts describe the monarchy dividing into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Samaria became the northern capital, while Jerusalem remained the center of Judah. “Israel,” “Judah” and “Samaria” can therefore identify different political or regional entities depending on the date.
Assyrian and Babylonian rule
Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in the late eighth century BCE and reorganized the region around Samaria. Population displacement and resettlement accompanied imperial rule. Babylon later conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and exiled part of its population in the early sixth century BCE.
Yehud and Judea
After Persia conquered Babylon, some exiled Judeans returned. The Persian administrative name Yehud is closely related to Judah. Under Greek-speaking empires, the form Judea became common. Alexander's conquests and the later Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms brought further political change, followed by a period of Hasmonean independence.
Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Syria Palaestina
Rome took control in the first century BCE. Roman administration used regional names including Judea, Galilee and Samaria. Greek and Roman writers had also used forms related to Palestine for the wider area.
After the Bar Kokhba revolt in the second century CE, Roman provincial organization used the name Syria Palaestina. The origin, scope and political purpose of the terminology are interpreted differently, so a precise claim about a single moment when “Palestine” began requires care. See the site's explanation of CE dating.
Palestine as a regional name
Christian writers and mapmakers continued to use Palestine as a geographical term. Its boundaries and administrative meaning shifted under Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Ottoman and other forms of rule.
Following the First World War, the British Mandate for Palestine gave the name a specific administrative use. The population included Muslim, Jewish, Christian and other communities, and identity terms developed in a changing political setting.
Israel and the Palestinian territories
The State of Israel declared independence in 1948 amid the end of the British Mandate, war and large-scale displacement. A United Nations partition proposal had recommended Jewish and Arab states and a special international arrangement for Jerusalem, but the proposal was not implemented as designed.
Today, Israel is the name of the sovereign state. “Palestine” may describe a historic region, Palestinian national identity or the State of Palestine, depending on context. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are central to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Terminology remains politically consequential and should be paired with a date, geographical scope and source.
Source and interpretation note
This page summarizes a long and contested history rather than settling modern territorial claims. Ancient scripture, inscriptions, archaeological findings and later administrative records answer different questions. Where they diverge, responsible reading identifies the type and date of each source.
Selected references from the archive
- Philip Davies, an essay on minimalist and maximalist approaches in biblical archaeology, published in Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2000.
- Archived educational material concerning Assyrian campaigns in Israel and Judah.
- Thomas McCall, an interpretive essay comparing “Palestine” and “Israel” as names for the region.
- Christian Classics Ethereal Library, background material on the New Testament world and its territories.
- Archived interpretive materials addressing modern territorial terminology. These sources reflect particular viewpoints and should be compared with current historical and legal scholarship.