Summing up the 12 princes means isolating those whose geographical residence can be either fully identified or theoretically considered. As a result, the following is a better reduction of what was just covered.
(1) Nebajoth = Edom
(2) Kedar = Arabia
(4) Mibsam = Philistia
(6) Dumah = Seir Mountains of Edom
(8) Hadar = Edom
(9) Tema = Southernmost Syria
(10) Jetur = Manasseh
(11) Naphish = Manasseh
One of the geographic goals of this study is to figure out where such locations are found today so that we can better understand where they were in times past and whether the current borders might have some impact upon those who fight for land and territory in the present day. We want to isolate ancient Edom, Philistia, Syria, Arabia, and Manasseh. These are the five regions to focus our attention.
1. Edom, as you should be able to tell, no longer exists. In its place is a divided region between modern-day Israel and modern-day Jordan. What was once Edom is now split between two current nations.
2. Philistia, if you look to the far left where it had been before, is the infamous war-embattled place referred to as the Gaza Strip.
3. Syria is still quite fully intact to the amazement of a geography student. With so many places adjusting their borders and losing their individual status, Syria has hardly been displaced at all.
4. Arabia still encompasses a tremendously large region now known as Saudi Arabia with regard to the Saudi Dynasty that began in 1744. Although still very much intact, Arabia has been a coveted land by the Egyptians as well as the Ottomans and the Persians. The very fact that it is now called
Saudi Arabia merely suggests that it is internally governed and is not dominated by those who have desired to take it over for centuries.
5. Manasseh is better seen in the following map, but certainly not because it exists.
In between Israel and Jordan, you should see a striped area called the West Bank. This is a disputed area that is fought over to this day. At the foot of the West Bank is Jerusalem and so goes the modern day fight over who controls such an important region. Ancient Manasseh (not shown) would have been right down the middle of Israel, the West Bank, and the western area of Jordan.
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