Much of the Bible happens in an area smaller than many people assume, and knowing roughly where things are makes narratives click into place.

The scale

The land at the centre of the Old Testament is about the size of a small country: roughly 240 kilometres from the northern border to the southern desert. Jerusalem to Bethlehem is under 10 kilometres. Nazareth to Jerusalem is about 100.

The distances are walkable, and that is the point: journeys that read as epic were often a few days on foot.

The main regions, north to south

Galilee in the north, green and agricultural, around a freshwater lake. Most of the ministry of Jesus happens here.

Samaria in the middle, hill country, inhabited by a people the Judeans avoided — which is what gives the story of the good Samaritan its edge, and why a conversation at a well was startling.

Judea in the south, drier, higher, containing Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Jordan valley running down the eastern side, containing the river, Jericho and the Dead Sea, which sits about 430 metres below sea level.

Beyond the land

Egypt to the southwest, the place of refuge and of slavery. Babylon far to the east, in modern Iraq, where the exiles were taken. Damascus to the northeast, on the road where Paul was stopped. Asia Minor, now Turkey, where most of the churches receiving letters were. Greece and Rome, further west, the end point of Acts.

Three details that change how passages read

Jerusalem is high. People always go up to Jerusalem, whatever direction they come from, because it sits on a ridge. The Psalms of ascent were sung on that climb.

The wilderness is close. Empty, dangerous country begins a short walk east of Jerusalem. Retreating to the wilderness was not a long expedition.

The lake is small. The Sea of Galilee is about 21 kilometres long, and sudden violent squalls are a known feature of it — which is why experienced fishermen were frightened rather than merely inconvenienced.

How to use this

Use the maps in the back of a study Bible, which is what they are for and which almost nobody opens. When a place is named, look at it once. After a few weeks you will have the map in your head, and the narratives will read as journeys rather than as names.

Our daily readings give you a passage each day, and specific questions are welcome in our questions section.