2
Ne 9:2 the Jews…gathered…to the lands of their
inheritance, and…their lands of promise.
“This
is a promise of the restoration of the Jews to the true Church and fold of God
‘when they shall be gathered home.’
“The
Lands of their Inheritance (See map #5). When Israel entered Canaan under
Joshua, the country was divided by lot ‘for an inheritance’ among the families
of the various tribes. In the division the larger tribes received a larger
territory than those with a smaller number of families. The country east of the
Jordan was allotted to Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. The rest of
the people were settled between the Jordan and the Mediterranean. To the
descendants of Levi, who were devoted to the temple service and literary pursuits,
a certain number of cities with surrounding land for grazing purposes were to
be allotted. (See Numb. 33:54–34:1–15) The total number of Levitical cities was
to be 48, six of which were to be cities of refuge, where one guilty of
manslaughter, but accused of murder, might find protection against the
‘avenger,’ which was the next of kin to the victim. (Numb. 35:1–8) This was the
land of their inheritance. The southern boundary was the ‘River of Egypt’
(Numb. 34:5), which is a brook running through the Sinai peninsula to the
Mediterranean south of Gaza. The northern boundary was a line drawn through
Hazarenan, which some have identified as the modern Kuryetein, sixty miles
northeast of Damascus.
“Their
Lands of Promise. This, probably, refers to the entire territory which the
Lord promised the descendants of Abraham. (Gen. 15:18–21)” (Reynolds and
Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 297)