Throughout Genesis, land often symbolizes prosperity that comes from God’s faithfulness. When Abram (later called Abraham) settles in Canaan, led there from Ur, God makes a covenant with him, promising him that the whole land will one day belong to him and his offspring. Along with offspring (which God likewise promises to Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob), land is the other element needed in order to become a nation. In other words, land is closely tied to the blessing of fruitfulness; Abraham and his offspring will fill the land much as God once commanded Adam and Eve, and then Noah’s family, to multiply and fill the earth. It is also tied to God’s promised faithfulness, as seen when Joseph dies in Egypt at the end of Genesis, assuring his family that God will someday lead them back to the promised land.
Land Quotes in Genesis
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Land Symbol Timeline in Genesis
