1. The earliest name was =Ca'naan=, "lowland," referring only to the
section between the river Jor'dan and the Med-i-ter-ra'ne-an Sea, of
which the inhabitants most widely known were the Ca'naan-ites, dwelling
on the lowland plains (Gen. 12. 5).
[Illustration: PALESTINE]
2. After the conquest by Josh'u-a it was called =Is'ra-el=, though in
later times of Old Testament history the name referred only to the
northern portion, the southern kingdom being called Ju'dah (Judg. 18. 1;
1 Kings 12. 20).
3. In the New Testament period its political name was =Ju-de'a=, which
was also the name of its most important province (Mark 1. 5).
4. Its modern name is =Pal'es-tine=, a form of the word "Phi-lis'tine,"
the name of a heathen race which in early times occupied its
southwestern border (Isa. 14. 29).