Gen 12:7 The land given

Gen 12:7   Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (ESV)

In this blog I want to take a quick look down through history to see what happened to the land that was promised to Abraham and his offspring. Abraham wandered about in the land for a bit, and for a while went to Egypt during a time of famine. The only bit of land he actually owned was a field containing a cave in which he buried his wife. The promise of inhabiting the land was fulfilled in both Joshua and Solomon's time. Joshua fought for and obtained the Land sometime around 1280BC:

Joshua 21:43-45   Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (ESV)

Although these verses say they had all the land

"It is somewhat misleading, however, to speak of ' the conquest of the land', since the Israelites did not conquer anything like the whole land. One tribe after another attempted to occupy the territory allotted to it, but not all the tribes were successful, and large areas remained under the control of the Canaanite others who were living in the land" who's promised land? Colin Chapman page 17.

Then after an up and down time with the Judges, Solomon possessed and ruled the land (around 971BC-931BC):

1 Kings 4:20-24   Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.  Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life...For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. (ESV)

Nehemiah seems to have seen Solomon's reign as a fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham:

Neh 9:7-9, 25   You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

   "And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, ....[25] And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. (ESV)