The Great Sea, also known as the Sea of the Philistines, refers to the Mediterranean Sea, which formed the western boundary of the Promised Land (Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; 9:1; 15:12, 47; 23:4; Ezk.47.10, 15, 19-20; 48:28; Exodus 23:31).
Also known as Mediterranean Sea · the great sea · border · Philistines Sea · Sea of the Philistines
The Great Sea, also referred to as the Sea of the Philistines, is the biblical name for the Mediterranean Sea, which formed the western boundary of the Promised Land. In the description of the boundaries of the land allocated to the Israelites, the Great Sea is mentioned as the western limit (Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 15:12; Ezk.47.20). The extent of the Promised Land is described as reaching from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River (Exodus 23:31). The Great Sea played a significant role in the history and geography of the region, with many important cities and ports located along its coast. The Philistines, who were a major enemy of the Israelites, occupied the coastal plain along the Great Sea (Joshua 9:1; 15:47). In the prophetic visions of Ezekiel, the Great Sea is mentioned in the context of the boundaries of the restored land of Israel (Ezk.47.10, 15, 19; 48:28). The Mediterranean Sea was a vital trade route and a source of resources for the ancient civilizations that inhabited the region, including the Israelites, Phoenicians, and Greeks.
Approximate location: 33.240, 33.470 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
13 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1419
And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.
Your northern border will run from the Great Sea directly to Mount Hor,
Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.
Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—
And the western border was the coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries around the clans of the descendants of Judah.
Ashdod, with its towns and villages; Gaza, with its towns and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.
See, I have allotted as an inheritance to your tribes these remaining nations, including all the nations I have already cut off, from the Jordan westward to the Great Sea.
Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon through Lebo-hamath to Zedad,
On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern boundary.
And on the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western boundary.
The southern border of Gad will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.