WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

Palestine
    n 1: a former British mandate on the east coast of the
         Mediterranean; divided between Jordan and Israel in 1948
    2: an ancient country in southwestern Asia on the east coast of
       the Mediterranean Sea; a place of pilgrimage for Christianity
       and Islam and Judaism [syn: Palestine, Canaan, Holy
       Land, Promised Land]

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Palestine
   originally denoted only the sea-coast of the land of Canaan
   inhabited by the Philistines (Ex. 15:14; Isa. 14:29, 31; Joel
   3:4), and in this sense exclusively the Hebrew name Pelesheth
   (rendered "Philistia" in Ps. 60:8; 83:7; 87:4; 108:9) occurs in
   the Old Testament.

     Not till a late period in Jewish history was this name used to
   denote "the land of the Hebrews" in general (Gen. 40:15). It is
   also called "the holy land" (Zech. 2:12), the "land of Jehovah"
   (Hos. 9:3; Ps. 85:1), the "land of promise" (Heb. 11:9), because
   promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:7; 24:7), the "land of Canaan"
   (Gen. 12:5), the "land of Israel" (1 Sam. 13:19), and the "land
   of Judah" (Isa. 19:17).

     The territory promised as an inheritance to the seed of
   Abraham (Gen. 15:18-21; Num. 34:1-12) was bounded on the east by
   the river Euphrates, on the west by the Mediterranean, on the
   north by the "entrance of Hamath," and on the south by the
   "river of Egypt." This extent of territory, about 60,000 square
   miles, was at length conquered by David, and was ruled over also
   by his son Solomon (2 Sam. 8; 1 Chr. 18; 1 Kings 4:1, 21). This
   vast empire was the Promised Land; but Palestine was only a part
   of it, terminating in the north at the southern extremity of the
   Lebanon range, and in the south in the wilderness of Paran, thus
   extending in all to about 144 miles in length. Its average
   breadth was about 60 miles from the Mediterranean on the west to
   beyond the Jordan. It has fittingly been designated "the least
   of all lands." Western Palestine, on the south of Gaza, is only
   about 40 miles in breadth from the Mediterranean to the Dead
   Sea, narrowing gradually toward the north, where it is only 20
   miles from the sea-coast to the Jordan.

     Palestine, "set in the midst" (Ezek. 5:5) of all other lands,
   is the most remarkable country on the face of the earth. No
   single country of such an extent has so great a variety of
   climate, and hence also of plant and animal life. Moses
   describes it as "a good land, a land of brooks of water, of
   fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; a
   land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and
   pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein
   thou shalt not eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack
   any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose
   hills thou mayest dig brass" (Deut. 8:7-9).

     "In the time of Christ the country looked, in all probability,
   much as now. The whole land consists of rounded limestone hills,
   fretted into countless stony valleys, offering but rarely level
   tracts, of which Esdraelon alone, below Nazareth, is large
   enough to be seen on the map. The original woods had for ages
   disappeared, though the slopes were dotted, as now, with figs,
   olives, and other fruit-trees where there was any soil.
   Permanent streams were even then unknown, the passing rush of
   winter torrents being all that was seen among the hills. The
   autumn and spring rains, caught in deep cisterns hewn out like
   huge underground jars in the soft limestone, with artificial
   mud-banked ponds still found near all villages, furnished water.
   Hills now bare, or at best rough with stunted growth, were then
   terraced, so as to grow vines, olives, and grain. To-day almost
   desolate, the country then teemed with population. Wine-presses
   cut in the rocks, endless terraces, and the ruins of old
   vineyard towers are now found amidst solitudes overgrown for
   ages with thorns and thistles, or with wild shrubs and poor
   gnarled scrub" (Geikie's Life of Christ).

     From an early period the land was inhabited by the descendants
   of Canaan, who retained possession of the whole land "from Sidon
   to Gaza" till the time of the conquest by Joshua, when it was
   occupied by the twelve tribes. Two tribes and a half had their
   allotments given them by Moses on the east of the Jordan (Deut.
   3:12-20; comp. Num. 1:17-46; Josh. 4:12-13). The remaining
   tribes had their portion on the west of Jordan.

     From the conquest till the time of Saul, about four hundred
   years, the people were governed by judges. For a period of one
   hundred and twenty years the kingdom retained its unity while it
   was ruled by Saul and David and Solomon. On the death of
   Solomon, his son Rehoboam ascended the throne; but his conduct
   was such that ten of the tribes revolted, and formed an
   independent monarchy, called the kingdom of Israel, or the
   northern kingdom, the capital of which was first Shechem and
   afterwards Samaria. This kingdom was destroyed. The Israelites
   were carried captive by Shalmanezer, king of Assyria, B.C. 722,
   after an independent existence of two hundred and fifty-three
   years. The place of the captives carried away was supplied by
   tribes brought from the east, and thus was formed the Samaritan
   nation (2 Kings 17:24-29).

     Nebuchadnezzar came up against the kingdom of the two tribes,
   the kingdom of Judah, the capital of which was Jerusalem, one
   hundred and thirty-four years after the overthrow of the kingdom
   of Israel. He overthrew the city, plundered the temple, and
   carried the people into captivity to Babylon (B.C. 587), where
   they remained seventy years. At the close of the period of the
   Captivity, they returned to their own land, under the edict of
   Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4). They rebuilt the city and temple, and
   restored the old Jewish commonwealth.

     For a while after the Restoration the Jews were ruled by
   Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and afterwards by the high
   priests, assisted by the Sanhedrin. After the death of Alexander
   the Great at Babylon (B.C. 323), his vast empire was divided
   between his four generals. Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and
   Coele-Syria fell to the lot of Ptolemy Lagus. Ptolemy took
   possession of Palestine in B.C. 320, and carried nearly one
   hundred thousand of the inhabitants of Jerusalem into Egypt. He
   made Alexandria the capital of his kingdom, and treated the Jews
   with consideration, confirming them in the enjoyment of many
   privileges.

     After suffering persecution at the hands of Ptolemy's
   successors, the Jews threw off the Egyptian yoke, and became
   subject to Antiochus the Great, the king of Syria. The cruelty
   and opression of the successors of Antiochus at length led to
   the revolt under the Maccabees (B.C. 163), when they threw off
   the Syrian yoke.

     In the year B.C. 68, Palestine was reduced by Pompey the Great
   to a Roman province. He laid the walls of the city in ruins, and
   massacred some twelve thousand of the inhabitants. He left the
   temple, however, unijured. About twenty-five years after this
   the Jews revolted and cast off the Roman yoke. They were
   however, subdued by Herod the Great (q.v.). The city and the
   temple were destroyed, and many of the inhabitants were put to
   death. About B.C. 20, Herod proceeded to rebuild the city and
   restore the ruined temple, which in about nine years and a half
   was so far completed that the sacred services could be resumed
   in it (comp. John 2:20). He was succeeded by his son Archelaus,
   who was deprived of his power, however, by Augustus, A.D. 6,
   when Palestine became a Roman province, ruled by Roman governors
   or procurators. Pontius Pilate was the fifth of these
   procurators. He was appointed to his office A.D. 25.

     Exclusive of Idumea, the kingdom of Herod the Great
   comprehended the whole of the country originally divided among
   the twelve tribes, which he divided into four provinces or
   districts. This division was recognized so long as Palestine was
   under the Roman dominion. These four provinces were, (1) Judea,
   the southern portion of the country; (2) Samaria, the middle
   province, the northern boundary of which ran along the hills to
   the south of the plain of Esdraelon; (3) Galilee, the northern
   province; and (4) Peraea (a Greek name meaning the "opposite
   country"), the country lying east of the Jordan and the Dead
   Sea. This province was subdivided into these districts, (1)
   Peraea proper, lying between the rivers Arnon and Jabbok; (2)
   Galaaditis (Gilead); (3) Batanaea; (4) Gaulonitis (Jaulan); (5)
   Ituraea or Auranitis, the ancient Bashan; (6) Trachonitis; (7)
   Abilene; (8) Decapolis, i.e., the region of the ten cities. The
   whole territory of Palestine, including the portions alloted to
   the trans-Jordan tribes, extended to about eleven thousand
   square miles. Recent exploration has shown the territory on the
   west of Jordan alone to be six thousand square miles in extent,
   the size of the principality of Wales.


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Palestine, AR -- U.S. city in Arkansas
   Population (2000):    741
   Housing Units (2000): 321
   Land area (2000):     3.219548 sq. miles (8.338590 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.024487 sq. miles (0.063421 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    3.244035 sq. miles (8.402011 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            53150
   Located within:       Arkansas (AR), FIPS 05
   Location:             34.973480 N, 90.905994 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     72372
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Palestine, AR
    Palestine


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Palestine, OH -- U.S. village in Ohio
   Population (2000):    170
   Housing Units (2000): 73
   Land area (2000):     0.147453 sq. miles (0.381901 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.147453 sq. miles (0.381901 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            59598
   Located within:       Ohio (OH), FIPS 39
   Location:             40.050308 N, 84.744428 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Palestine, OH
    Palestine


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Palestine, IL -- U.S. village in Illinois
   Population (2000):    1366
   Housing Units (2000): 714
   Land area (2000):     0.745525 sq. miles (1.930900 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.745525 sq. miles (1.930900 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            57277
   Located within:       Illinois (IL), FIPS 17
   Location:             39.002214 N, 87.612110 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     62451
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Palestine, IL
    Palestine


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Palestine, TX -- U.S. city in Texas
   Population (2000):    17598
   Housing Units (2000): 7668
   Land area (2000):     17.698861 sq. miles (45.839837 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.183332 sq. miles (0.474827 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    17.882193 sq. miles (46.314664 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            54708
   Located within:       Texas (TX), FIPS 48
   Location:             31.757925 N, 95.638473 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     75801
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Palestine, TX
    Palestine