Ereẓ Israel

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EREẒ ISRAEL

EREẒ ISRAEL (Heb. אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל), Hebrew name of Land of Israel. The term EreẒ Israel is biblical, although its meaning varies, designating both the territory actually inhabited by the Israelites (i Sam. 13:19) and the Northern Kingdom (ii Kings 5:2). It was, however, only from the Second Temple period onward that Ereẓ Israel became the current appellation of the Promised Land. It was the official Hebrew designation of the area governed by British mandate after World War i until 1948. For further details, see *Canaan, Land of; *Israel, Land of (Geographical Survey).