become independent. Every traveler between Egypt and Babylonia must
pass through Palestine which thereby became the bridge for the
civilization and commerce of tie world. Here the Hebrew could easily
keep in touch with the world events of his day. Later it became the
gateway of travel from east to west. The territory naturally falls
into three divisions: (a) Judah or Judea which is in the southern
portion and about seventy-five miles long, (b) Ephraim or Samaria
occupying the center of the country, (c) Galilee occupying the
northern portion. Along the entire coast line there is a continuous
coast plain. There are many mountains, the most important being
Hermon, Carmel and Gerizim.

(2) _Its inhabitants and the nations surrounding it_. That the
population was very dense is indicated by the mention of about three
hundred cities and towns a large number of which have been identified.
While there were many war-like people crowded into Palestine, seven,
the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the
Jebusites, the Amorites and the Canaanites, were the most important.
The Canaanites, who had been there about six centuries, and the
Amorites, who had lived there about ten centuries, were the two
peoples that furnished greatest resistance to Israel's occupancy of
the country. They were virtually one people.

Around Palestine were many kingdoms, some large and strong, some small
and weak. Among the more important were the Philistines, west of
Judah, the Phoenician kingdoms on the north, Arameans or Syrians on
the northeast, and on the east and southeast, the Ammonites, Moabites
and Edomites, the last three being kinsmen of the Hebrews.

(3) _Conditions favorable to its conquest_. Several circumstances