THE BIBLE is about the MIDDLE EAST, and

not about the WHOLE GLOBE

..from the free commentary which you can download at
http://sites.google.com/site/freecommentary

Understanding that 'earth' has a local and not a worldwide meaning is one of
the most important changes that you can make in interpreting the Bible.

Summary:
The action of the Bible is centred on Zion, and the countries round about. This
is despite many places where there are prophecies about the 'whole earth'.
Look to the context to find that in each case 'earth' is a mistranslation of the
Hebrew and Greek words about the land of Israel or the lands of the Middle
East. Allow this fact to settle in your mind, and the Bible's puzzling prophecies
fall into place. Further, the term 'heavens and earth' has a religious meaning
centred in Zion, which no-one should miss.

IT'S SIMPLY A TRANSLATION PROBLEM IN THE BIBLE

Global-sounding expressions such as
'earth, all nations, all men, whole world, farthest ends, four winds, breadth of
the earth' etc.
all refer just to Israel, the Middle East and to the Mediterranean
countries.

Very few translations have caught up with this idea.

The listing below these introductory comments aims to highlight the fact that a
limited and specific number of places and nations are the intention of words
such as 'earth' and 'nations'.

E.g. The term 'nations' often refers to just a few nations, even as few as
two. Our imaginations may automatically think of lots of nations, but that
is a wrong assumption. The main listing below should be a reminder for us
to beware of reading our own already-formed ideas into the scriptures.

E.g. 'Earth' may be better translated as 'land' in many instances, but not
always. Each case should be translated individually -- 'continent', 'region',
'dry land', 'Israel', 'Roman Empire', 'soil'.

The point is that, in understanding the Bible, our mindsets need to be

changed to cater for the localised view being presented.

The action of the Bible takes place within a range from India (east) to Spain
(west), and from Ethiopia (south) to Beth-togarmah (north), and usually much
more locally, in the Middle East. There is nothing spoken of specifically outside
this range (discounting linguistic speculations such as 'Sinim = China' and
'Rosh = Russia' etc). Even identifying Tarshish as near Gibraltar is not certain.
Isaiah 23 seems to place it near Sidon & Tyre, Canaan & Egypt. 'Tarshish' may
have become a poetic name for the sea itself. This means that even 'stretching
as far as Spain' is perhaps too far-flung.

The prophesied action of the Bible occurs in the Middle East.

Even though, in general terms, the action 'stretches far and wide',
nevertheless in individual records, the word usage is limited to the local
context, such as countries around Persia, or the peoples of the sea-shore, or
the nations neighbouring Israel. Each individual context is a microcosm in
itself. Global descriptions are absent.

For Western Christians to insist on seeing the whole Bible, or even just the
New Testament, as being about them in particular and on reading themselves
into every phrase, is a hidden form of anti-Semitism, of which the church
stands rightly accused. It is only when you understand that God's purposes still
include Israel, and that much of the Bible is geared to this effect, that many
puzzling passages simply slip into place.
Nowhere is this truer than in the book of Revelation. The single biggest factor
in understanding this book is to grasp that it is talking of a Middle Eastern
scene. Despite vivid movies depicting Christ returning to the whole globe all at
once, and despite our own active imaginations, reading the Bible itself shows
that the terrible judgments in Revelation concern Jerusalem and Israel, and the
nations surrounding it. It is the surrounding nations who have attacked Israel
and plundered her people, and it is these Middle Eastern countries which are
being called to account. E.g. It is not Tibetans who have plundered Israel over
the millennia.
This is not to say that the book of Revelation does not affect us converted
Gentiles; or that Christ is not returning to get us converted Gentiles to take us
to be with him. But it is to say...

First understand what Revelation is talking about,

then extrapolate from it appropriately.

The import of this list is to look carefully at the context and usage of
expressions which we wrongly take for granted to refer to all men everywhere.
Taking this list to heart can alter your whole understanding of the Bible.

Some of the problem has been caused by our own assumptions, and some are
simply mistranslations...

GREEK and HEBREW MEANINGS

The Greek and Hebrew words translated 'earth' can just as easily and
legitimately be translated 'land', and should be so translated, to avoid the
modern interpretation of 'Earth, with a capital E, the globe'.
## Hebrew: 'erets
Dictionary Definition: (Bear in mind that even dictionary definitions have
been influenced by the accumulated expectations from centuries of
influences and usage from non-Biblical literature)

"From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or
partitively a land): - X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X
nations, way, + wilderness, world".

The Hebrew word 'erets' is commonly used to refer to:

..'dry land'
..a collection of countries, to single countries,
..and particularly to the land of Israel.
..It is even used for a small region...
E.g. the land of Moriah, about as big as a mountainside, Gen 22:2
E.g. the land of Rameses Gen 47:11, actually a city Exo 1:11.
E.g. the land of Goshen, a regional area, Gen 50:8
E.g. the land of Judah, a tribal division Rth 1:7
E.g. the land of Shalishah, 1Sa 9:4
E.g. the land of Zuph, 1Sa 9:5
The examples are numerous.

## Greek: 'ge'
Dictionary Definition: "Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension
a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the
occupants in each application): - country, earth (-ly), ground, land, world."
Compare 'geo-'.

In the New Testament the Greek word 'ge', is used specifically to mean:
..firstly 'ground';
..then 'land' (e.g. of the Chaldeans);
..then the land of Judea, Zebulun, Naphtali (i.e. a tribal division);
..then even the 'land' of Sodom (i.e. a city!)

Though it is possible to find many instances where 'land' is used to mean

simply a country or a region, I have not found any specific instance where the
Greek word 'ge' definitively means the whole globe. Even the first verse of
creation about 'the heavens and the earth' should be retranslated as 'the sky
and land' (of the Middle East, centred on Eden in Israel). For a discussion of
that surprising slant, see the full commentary.

## 'Nation' is also used differently from the way we understand. There are for
instance, seven 'nations' within the land of Canaan. We would normally
understand Canaan itself to be one single nation. Cf 'the people-s of Israel',
Act 4:27, even though the normal phrase is 'the people of Israel'.

Often 'all the nations' in context, means 'all the nations I am talking about' or
'all the nations who are fighting' e.g. it is used about the King of Babylon and
the nations he has conquered, and not 'all the nations on the whole globe'.
Similar contextual usages of unqualified absolute terms such as 'all, every,
utterly, never, forever, no-one' abound in the Bible.
## 'Kingdom'... In the ancient world a king was king over a city, to deliver
and save his subjects. If he were conquered, he helped his conqueror, who
might become a superpower ruling over many kings. Thus a kingdom may
refer to just one city, or to an empire.

The word 'King' is also used to describe the rulers of the Jewish people, i.e. the
Sanhedrin. The people were called 'a kingdom of priests', in Exo 19:6.
Furthermore, during part of their history they had a high priest who functioned
as King, when their nation was conquered and so not allowed to have its own
king. Cf Zec 3:6-7, addressed to the high priest.

## 'Coastlands, isles'... does not refer to all the islands in the whole world.
Its usage specifically concerns the eastern Mediterranean coast (Philistia, and
Canaanite territory, not 'islands' at all); the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus
which are found in that vicinity; and the Phoenician trading empire spread over
the Mediterranean. The word 'isles' or 'islands' can also be rendered
'coastlands', which can also simply mean 'sea-shore' 'borders' 'river-banks' or
'sand-hills'. Consequently 'the ends of the earth', 'the uttermost parts of the
earth' often simply mean 'from coast/ river/ border, to border/ river/ coast' --
the borders of the land.

## The 4 Directions:
These are given in terms that are local to Israel...

'East' is most often the word for 'in front'. (Temples faced the rising sun.)

'South' is sometimes the word for 'on the right', sometimes the word for
'sea'; mostly the word is 'Negev', a term used for the southern Judean
desert, or occasionally for Egypt

'North' is a translation once for 'on the left' but mostly the word for 'hidden'
i.e. containing 'the storehouses' of the snow and hail (surely a Northern
Hemisphere view)

'West' is 'seawards' (i.e. the Mediterranean, a local landmark)

In addition...

'East' is sometimes 'where the sun rises'

and 'West' is the 'setting of the sun'.

Cold from the north and warmth from the south are a Northern Hemisphere
view of the world.

Horizons indicate the area beyond the Jordan (to the east) and in the
Mediterranean (in the west). Egypt lies to the south, Assyria to the north.
Armed forces from the 'uttermost part of heaven' turns out to be only the
Medes. Lightning, for instance, flashes 'from east to west' across the 'whole
sky'.
The 'farthest north' is used of the area beyond Assyria, of the descendants of
Japheth, i.e. the region of Turkey and the Caucuses. The idea is more
comparative than superlative, in that 'far' means on the edge; 'farther' means
beyond the border; out of sight; 'farthest' means just beyond that; well out of
sight.

A MIDDLE EAST PERSPECTIVE

Having no pictures of the earth from outer space, no model of a globe on a

spinning axis, indeed no atlas or complete map of the world at all, the ancient
Hebrew-speaking inhabitant spoke in terms of what he could see... the dome
of the sky above, horizons as far as the eye could see; and then imagined the
enemies who lived beyond the farthest horizons. That is the mindset of the
Bible. That is the pictorial nature of the Semitic languages.

That is not to say that God and man did not know that the world is a globe
spinning in space; but it is to say that He spoke in the language of, and to the
understanding of, the people He was originally talking to, in pictorial terms of
what they could see.
And that is how we must understand it too.
'Earth', as used in the Bible, means what we would see around us if we were
centred in the relevant land; and 'the end/borders of the earth' would mean
what would lie just beyond; and 'the uttermost ends' would refer to beyond the
borders of the land and its immediate neighbours – as if we were centred in a
semi-bubble, with a dome stretching over us, limited by the horizons.

This is not to say God didn't know the earth was a planet. It is to say simply
this – that the Bible is not written from that point of view – It is the salvation
of mankind, which 'comes from the Jews', which is the debate, not the
scientific explanation of all things. To see the earth as if from the insides of a
semi-bubble is, after all, how we all, under our own steam, still individually
view the world.

A RELIGIOUS MEANING
..to 'world' and 'heaven'

## World
Greek: 'kosmos'
Dictionary Definition: "orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by
implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants,
literally or figuratively [morally]): - adorning, world".

i.e. the underlying idea is 'order' as opposed to khaos.

'Order' in the religious world therefore narrows down to 'the religious
government' of Israel. This is how Jesus and the apostles used 'kosmos'.
It is used specifically to refer to the established religious order of the Jewish
rulers, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees. Such men are 'rulers' over the Jews, Mat
17:24-25.
## Related to that slant of meaning, 'High places/ heavenlies' seems to
refer to high (religious) government positions, rather than physical mountain
shrines, or spiritual realms.

God is understandably more interested in the spiritual and human side

of the 'earth', than its mountains & seas, or its mystical invisible aspects.
Consequently, 'heavens and earth' often seems to refer to the temple in
Jerusalem! with the wordplay centring around God’s resting place, either in
heaven (residing beyond us), or on earth (visiting a physical temple -- in Zion),
and the main players are prophets priests and kings, not stars, angels,
trees, ships, etc.
This spiritual theme becomes more and more noticeable in prophecy, if you
are alert to it, that the creation of 'the heavens and the earth', their
destruction, and their re-creation, refer to the concurrent old and new religious
orders of the ages, through covenants, made, broken, renewed. This becomes
particularly important, when, in Revelation, we come to the creation of the
New Heavens and New Earth, and find the cross-references have all the time
been talking of the New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant. The language
itself has been carrying this meaning all along. See the Verse Notes from
Rev_21:1 which bring out this unexpected meaning to the 'new heavens and
new earth' replacing the 'old heavens and earth'.

Just to confuse the issue, the Greek and Hebrew words 'ages/ eternal/ forever'
are often misleadingly translated as 'world/ realm'; but they carry that same
religious idea of marking off the religious eras in redemption history.
E.g. 'discern the signs of the times', Mat 16:3.

THE LISTING
The following is a list of expressions which are often wrongly understood to
refer to the whole globe, but which, within their contexts, have a meaning
limited strictly to the Middle East, and often to Israel in particular. Look
carefully at the context and usage of non-literal expressions which we wrongly
take for granted to refer literally to 'all men everywhere'.

The listing has been arranged as follows...

Expression used in our translations
Meaning as given by the context
Reference for you to check it up. The ASV translation has been
used.

Earth
Dry land: this is the definitive proof verse that 'erets' does not refer to
the whole globe.

Gen 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of
the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Earth
 Dry land. 'Land' is clearly a better translation than 'earth' for many of
the verses which follow.

Gen 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the
high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered.
Gen 7:20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered.
Gen 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both birds, and
cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth,
and every man:
Gen 7:22 all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that
was on the dry land, died.
Gen 7:23 And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of
the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the
heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left,
and they that were with him in the ark.

Earth divided
Babel, i.e. the people were divided, the earth's crust wasn't. A small
group of people moving from west of Babel, to Babel in the Middle
East... as described in chapter 10, restricted to a continental basin.

Gen 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was
Peleg. For in his days was the earth divided. And his brother's name was
Joktan.
Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
Gen 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a
plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
Gen 11:4 And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose
top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Earth
Middle Eastern and eastern Mediterranean nations. A credible
translation of 'land' would be 'the continent' of the Middle East.

Gen 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their
generations, in their nations: and of these were the nations divided in the
earth after the flood. ... see all of chapter 10

All the face of the earth, all countries, all lands

Egypt to Canaan, i.e. quite local.
Gen 41:47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by
handfuls.
Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were
in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field,
which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
Gen 41:54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as
Joseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of
Egypt there was bread.
Gen 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph
opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine
was sore in the land of Egypt.
 Gen 41:57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain,
because the famine was sore in all the earth.

Gen 47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the
land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought:
and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

Act 7:11 Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great
affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

Nations
Judah and Israel
Gen 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it.
He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: howbeit his
younger brother [Ephraim] shall be greater than he, and his seed shall
become a multitude of nations.

Land of Goshen
Hebrew 'erets' refers to a regional area
Gen 50:8 and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's
house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in
the land of Goshen.

Face of the earth

Moab. 'Land' can often be translated as a single country.
Num 22:5 And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to
Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to
call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold,
they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.

Dominion
Moab, Edom. Kings in the Bible rule over one city.
Num 24:17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: There
shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons
of tumult.
Num 24:18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a
possession, who were his enemies; While Israel doeth valiantly.
Num 24:19 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy
the remnant from the city.

The peoples that are under the whole heaven

only the local Canaanites who are about to lose their land
Deu 2:25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee
upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the
report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
Deu 2:29 as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that
dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land
which Jehovah our God giveth us.
 Deu 11:24 Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be
yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river
Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border.
Deu 11:25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: Jehovah your
God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon
all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath spoken unto you.

Jos 2:9 and she said unto the men, I know that Jehovah hath given you
the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the
inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

The water under the earth

i.e. the sea, since there are fish in it. It is talking of the sea-water
below the level of the dry ground
Deu 4:18 the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the
likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;

Dawn/sunrise
only immediately beyond the Jordan
Deu 4:41 Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the
sunrising;

Deu 4:47 And they took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of
Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan
toward the sunrising;

Ends of the earth

the borders of the land of Canaan, Israel.
Deu 33:17 The firstling of his herd, majesty is his; And his horns are the
horns of the wild-ox: With them he shall push the peoples all of them,
even the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Dawn/sunrise
only the trans-Jordan
Jos 1:15 until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as he hath given
you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God
giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and
possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the
Jordan toward the sunrising.

Jos 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel
smote, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising,
from the valley of the Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the Arabah
eastward:

All the nations that I have cut off

Canaanite nations. In the Bible many nations can inhabit one country.
Jos 23:4 Behold, I have allotted unto you these nations that remain, to be
an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I
have cut off, even unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun.

Earth
 land of the living. Figurative.
2Sa 4:11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous
person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of
your hand, and take you away from the earth?

Face of the earth

the living, in the land of Israel
2Sa 14:7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and
they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the
life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will
they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither
name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

2Sa 14:16 For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of
the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance
of God.

All men; all kings of the earth

'all the nations round about'. It is often a simple matter to read the
context of a verse to find the particular nations listed by name.
1Ki 4:31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and
Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all
the nations round about.
1Ki 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a
thousand and five.
1Ki 4:33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even
unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and
of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
1Ki 4:34 And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

Earth
Jerusalem, the temple, down on dry land.
1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy
place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah,
1Ki 8:11 so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the
cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.
1Ki 8:12 Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in
the thick darkness.
1Ki 8:13 I have surely built thee a house of habitation, a place for thee to
dwell in for ever.

1Ki 8:27 But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven
and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house
that I have builded!

2Ch 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less
this house which I have builded!

No nation or kingdom
Middle East (exploring the globe would take more than a lifetime)
1Ki 18:10 As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom,
 whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not
here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

Shields of the earth

Israel. Earth/land can sometimes best be translated as 'the country'.
Psa 47:9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together To be the
people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto
God; He is greatly exalted.
Psa 47:2 For Jehovah Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the
earth.
Psa 47:4 He chooseth our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom he
loved. Selah

Heavens and earth

sky and land; people of Israel
Isa 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning
Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah.
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken:
I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against
me.

The earth
as in an 'earthquake', within Israel, Middle East
Isa 2:19 And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes
of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his
majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
Isa 2:21 to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of the
ragged rocks, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his
majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.
Isa 2:6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because
they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the
Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

Whole earth
temple
Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah
of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him
that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Kingdom against kingdom

Egyptian against Egyptian. Notice that 'kingdom against kingdom'
means 'city against city', within the land. Compare Mat 24:7.
Isa 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud,
and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his
presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Isa 19:2 And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they
shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his
 neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Isa 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will
destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the
charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

Heavens, mountains
Israel's adversaries; temple
Isa 64:1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest
come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence,
Isa 64:2 as when fire kindleth the brushwood, and the fire causeth the
waters to boil; to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the
nations may tremble at thy presence!

Isa 63:18 Thy holy people possessed it but a little while: our adversaries
have trodden down thy sanctuary.

Whole earth
Egypt; 'erets' can sometimes be translated as 'countryside'.
Eze 32:4 And I will leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon
the open field, and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle upon
thee, and I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth with thee.

Nations and peoples

Judah and Israel
Eze 37:22 and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the
mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall
be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms
any more at all;

High places of the earth

mountain shrines of Samaria and Jerusalem
Mic 1:3 For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place, and will come
down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Mic 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the
house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and
what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

Kings of the earth

Roman authorities (Pilate, Herod). Notice the plural 'peoples' of Israel.
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array, And the rulers
were gathered together, Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:
Act 4:27 for of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom
thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and
the peoples of Israel, were gathered together,

Earth
traditions
Col 3:2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that
are upon the earth.

Col 2:20 If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as
though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances,
Heaven; earth
New Covenant sacrifices; Old Covenant sacrifices
Heb 8:4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing
there are those who offer the gifts according to the law;
Heb 8:5 who serve that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly
things
, even as Moses is warned of God when he is about to make the
tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the
pattern that was showed thee in the mount.

Heb 9:23 It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the
heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Worldly
temple on earth as opposed to in the heavens
Heb 9:1 Now even a first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and
its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world.

They that dwell on the earth

nations 'occupying the land', i.e. Jerusalem.
Rev 11:2 And the court which is without the temple leave without, and
measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city
shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Rev 11:10 And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make
merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two
prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

Luk 21:23 Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck
in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath
unto this people.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Earth and them dwell therein

what seems global in Revelation seems local to Israel in Zechariah
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight.
And he maketh the earth and them dwell therein to worship the first
beast, whose death-stroke was healed.

Zec 11:17 Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword
shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried
up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Zec 11:6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah;
but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into
the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I
will not deliver them.

These examples are only a portion of the 300 or so to be found in the full
commentary, under "Earth Overtranslated", at
http://sites.google.com/site/freecommentary

Where did such anti-Semitic translations come from?

In the times of our English translations, the prevailing spiritual climate was
such that It was simply not politically acceptable to produce a Zion-
centred rendition of scripture which gave little place to regions beyond
the Middle-East (England, Europe). You can feel the ongoing after-effects
even today, in that Zionism is still seen as a 'dirty (Jewish)' word, seen as
nothing to do with Christianity. This situation is a travesty of the Christian
hope.

But now is the era to throw off tainted attitudes and tainted translations.