THE LAND OF ISRAEL
IS NOT CALLED "PALESTINE"
IS NOT CALLED "PALESTINE"
A visiting preacher smiled as he stood before a group of Jewish believers in Israel, and said enthusiastically, "I am so happy to finally be in Palestine". His audience was underwhelmed. Yet another well-meaning westerner who speaks (and thinks) carelessly. How many people realize where the name Palestine comes from, and how offensive it is to the Jews?
For the short version, read this extract from Wikipedia:
After the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Judeans and the subsequent Roman repression and exile, the Romans renamed the entire district of Judea "Palaestina" as a mark of insult to their defeated enemies. This is because of their knowledge of the region's history and the fact that the Philistines and the Israelites were warring peoples.
The land of Israel is NEVER called Palestine in the Bible. The word "Palestine" or "Palestina" only appears four times in the King James Version, in Exodus 15:14; Isaiah 14:29 and 14:31 (translated Philistia in the Darby Version, New American Standard and NIV), and Joel 3:4 "Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine?" A good Bible study program like Bible Works will show you that the word is Pelesheth {pel-eh'-sheth} Meaning: Philistia = "land of sojourners" and its usage and forms are: Palestina 3, Philistia 3, Philistine 1, Palestine 1.
Of all people, Christians should know that the land of Israel is not Philistia or Palestine! It is ERETZ ISRAEL - the LAND of ISRAEL. God gave it to them in an eternal covenant made first with Abraham and confirmed as an eternal covenant to his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. Neither the Romans nor the U.N. nor anyone else can take it from them. It is weak to argue saying words acquire new meanings, because Israel is not Philistia like Jehovah is not Baal or Dagon, and never will be. "Hold fast the form of sound words."
