The Western Border
This is that Great Sea, the Mediterranean Sea.
The Northern Border
This one is more difficult ,but the passage contains two simple directions which aid us. They are: 1. The border of Hamath is north of the line, So Hamath cannot be included. 2. The line went inland until it reached the border of Damascus. Therefore, it would seem that the land which Hamath and Damascus ruled in Ezekiel's time is not included. (Today Syria rules the land which was previousle ruled by Hamath and Damascus.)
A definite border begings to take shape as we examine the meaning of the descriptive words. The entrance of Hamath is a mountain pass at the northern border of Lebanon. Seagoing travelers disembarked on the Mediterranean coast to use this pass through the Lebanon mountain range to get to the high plain of Hamath. Zedad means "sloping place."After the pass this must refer to the way the plain slopes up towards the mountains. Since we are not to go toward Hamath, in the north, we would have to follow the sloping terrain to the south, going around the plain, turning east, and then north towards Hamath which we never reach, for we are to go to Berothah, "a place with wells." Then we go to Sibraim, the two hills at the junction of the old borders of Hamath and Damascus. Then we proceed to Hazer-hatticon, the middle village between Hamath and Damascus. From here we cross the Hauran, the cave district of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, so that we arrive at Hazer-enan, the fountain town which is the easrern end of the northern border.
The Eastern Border
This comes down between the cave district and Damascus, then it goes between Israel and Gilead. Gilead is the land east of the Sea of Galileeand the Jordan River. The intent seems to include the area which we know as the Golan Heights,for all the mountains of this ridge are given to Israel. From the Golan Heights it reaches the Jordan River, which it follows to the Dead Sea.
The Southern Border
This begins at the Dead Sea and goes to three places with doubtful historical locations- to Tamar, Meribath Kadesh, and to the Brook, before it returns to the Mediterranean Sea.
If we would have any hope of locating Tamar, we must consider the intended distribution of land allootments. Seven tribes: Dan, Asher, Napthali, Manasseh,Ephraim,Rueben and Judah, are each to have an equal north-south division of the land between Jerusalem ans the entrance of Hamath. This pass it at latitude 34-40N. Jerusalem is at latitude 31-47N. This is 173 nautical miles for seven tribes, so each part would be 24.7 nautical miles from north to south. The scriptures state that every tribe must have the same portion. So to find Tamar we must go south from Jerusalem the distance for the Allotmnt to the Prince and add five portions for the tribes of: Benjamin, Simeon,Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. The Princes portion is 25000 cubits or 6.25NM. (Five times 24.7=123.5. 6.25+123.5=129.75) This is on latitude 29-37N
Elath (Eilat) is just south of this.
The space program has provided satellite photography of this area.I have obtained and peiced together 10 photos of the region of Ezekiel's Israel. I have made the allotment measurements and expect to find Tamar buried in a hill about 4NM north of Elath.
Meribath-Kadesh, the site of holy contention between God and those of the Exodus who were disturbed because they were thirsty, is situated at Rephidim. Rephidim is located on the west side of the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
Another identification should help us to fix this border, so lets consider what Ezekiel meant by 'the brook'.We might start by pondering the responsibilities of a prophet to the visions of God. Consider in particular the case of a prophet seeing a UFO.(Unidentified Future Object). Does God have to tell him its name? Of course not, for it would only bring ridicule to the prophet who would speak the name for a thing which did not yet exist. What of the prophet then: can he invent a name? No, for then no one would ever understand. Rather, he must use the best knowledge of his day to describe what he has seen. Then, when someone looks back, understanding the knowledge of that day, he might see what God meant.
Ezekiel knew about the Nile River and the stream in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula.If what he had seen had been either of these two bodies of water, he would have had to use its correct proper name. This he did not do! Therefore, since he only said 'brook,' maybe what he saw was in truth a third body of water which he did not recognize. This third waterway was fashioned be the shovels of Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1871. He named it the Suez Canal.
CONSIDER THE MAP OF EZEKIEL'S ISRAEL.