The Land East of the Jordan (Transjordan)

Here there are uplands, like those to the west, but higher. They are well-watered and provide good pasture for the huge flocks of sheep and herds of cattle formerly raised in Moab. At one time the king of Moab paid 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 sheep every year to Israel as tribute (2 Kings 3:4). The mountains here rise from 1,900-2,300 feet east of Galilee to almost 6,560 feet south and east of the Dead Sea. They attract a rainfall which increases with their height and makes them a fertile belt between the dry valley on one side and the Arabian Desert on the other.

The fertility of parts of the region, such as Bashan and Gilead, the prosperity of the sheep raisers of Moab, and the success of the traders of Edom made all these areas powerful rivals of the Israelites west of Jordan. It was, perhaps, just as well for Israel that the Jordan made it so difficult for these people to move into their land from the east. It almost completely seperated two similar regions which lay within sight of each otherm across the valley.

This, then, was the land in which God chose to place His people, and to which He chose to send His Son. It is not very rich or very important. All its importance stems from the fact that He chose it. It is a small land - a barren, eroded, hilly piece of the earth's surface. Yet it has been more coveted and fought for than perhaps any other country in the world.

Central highlands
The Plain of Esdraelon
Galilee
The coastal plain
The 'Shephelah' or Piedmont
The Jordan Valley
The land east of the Jordan (Transjordan)

Structures of the Land Climate of the Land Vegetation of the Land Resources of the Land Regions of the Land