Why Israel is not in Africa
In this article we are going to see why Israel is not located in Africa and is located exactly where it is located today. You may have heard teachings like the real Israel is in Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo or someplace in Africa. The land of Israel belonged to the Canaanites, so the land used to be called Canaan. However, after Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, brought the Israelites out of slavery in the land of Egypt, He led them to the land of Canaan, which then became the land of Israel.
So, let's see why the modern state of Israel is located exactly where ancient Israel used to be. The borders are not exactly correct but they are somewhat close especially on the southern border. The other borders not so much. However, Jerusalem is exactly where it has been for thousands of years. It is not located in Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo, or someplace in Africa.
So, which Scriptures prove that the ancient land of Israel was located exactly where the modern state of Israel is located? I will show them soon. The first issue we need to deal with is a misunderstanding of Genesis 13:1.
1. Abraham Went South of Egypt
The first verse that people who believe that Israel is in Egypt use in Genesis 13:1 in the King James Version of the Bible.
Genesis 13:1 KJV And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
Other Bible versions have more accurate translations for example the English Standard Version.
Genesis 13:1 ESV So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2. Israel is Near the Philistines
Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
This verse shows us that the land of the Philistines is near Egypt, and you can get to the land of Canaan by way of the land of the Philistines.
In fact, Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines. Genesis 21:34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
Since Genesis 21:34 happens after Genesis 13:1, we can conclude that Abraham did not journey south of Egypt into Sudan. He went into the Negeb desert. If you examine some of the towns of the Negeb area, one that stands out in Beershaba. Abraham lived in Beersheba.
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Genesis 21:19 He lived in Beersheba, and if you look at the location of Beersheba, it's near the land of the Philistines.
The name "Palestine" is derived from the word Philistia, which referred to the land of the Philistines, a sea-faring people who settled along the coastal areas of Canaan (modern-day Gaza Strip and parts of southern Israel) around the 12th century BCE. The term Peleset appears in Egyptian inscriptions, such as those of Pharaoh Ramses III, who mentioned them as one of the "Sea Peoples."
The Greeks adapted the term to Palaistinê (Παλαιστίνη), which Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, used in the 5th century BCE to describe the region between Phoenicia and Egypt. This usage broadened to include not only Philistia but also the wider region of Canaan.
After the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE), the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the province of Judea to Syria Palaestina in an attempt to minimize Jewish ties to the land and suppress Jewish nationalism. The name "Palaestina" was chosen as a reference to the Philistines, historical enemies of the Israelites.
The name was preserved in Byzantine and Islamic periods as Filastin in Arabic. This term continued to refer to the geographic region rather than a specific political entity.
In modern times, "Palestine" came to denote the territory comprising present-day Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, reflecting its historical, geographic, and cultural heritage.
3. Israel is next to Egypt
In Ezekiel 16, Yahweh is talking to the Israelites and He accuses them of adultery. In Ezekiel 16:26 Yahweh says Egyptians are neighbors to the Israelites. Ezekiel 16:26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger.
So, the land of Israel is next to Egypt. That's why so many times the Israelites fled to the land of Egypt for safety.
4. King Josiah Tried to Stop Pharaoh
2 Kings 23:29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him.
This verse tells us that to get to the land of Assyria from Egypt, you have to pass through the land of Israel. So, it does not make sense that the land of Israel is in Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo or any part of Africa.