THE NOTION OF BORDER IN THE BIBLE

Abstract

 The history of the formation of state borders can be found the Old Testament. In ancient times, neighboring countries were separated from each other by natural and difficult-to- cross borders such as forests, rivers.... Making/defining a border in the books of the Bible is an act of God. Border could be a monument, a mountain, a cave, sea, village, desert.

After leaving Egypt, Jewish people had to cross the desert road to enter the Promised Land. This had a symbolic and mystical significance. The people encamped in the desert “near the mountain of God”. The Mount Sinai was called Desert Sinai, thus the mount took the name of the desert –Mount Sinai, Sinai Desert.  

The border in both singular and plural indicated the outline of the country, “Side”, “coast”, “limb”, “mouth”, “limit”, “rock”, “lip” (as a natural border) are found in many passages of the Old Testament in the sense of border or territory, thus, “limit”, “mouth”, “edge”, “end”, “hand”, were used in various applications, both literally and figuratively, and denoted spatial and ideological concepts.

The Border established divine order within itself, that is civilization which was separated from outer lands and the peoples living there by national identity and religion, border separated and confronted two worlds, and at the same time, it was a paradoxical place where they connected with each other.

Keywords: Old Testament; border; desert; national identity.