The Bible Discourages Territorial Expansion
Judaism is not a territorially expansionist religion. It is different in that respect from either Islam or Christianity. Judaism is not and has not been a religion of conquest, expansion, or proselytism.
The Hebrews who were delivered from Egyptian slavery 3500 years ago elbowed their way into the territory of the “seven nations” that occupied the land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean. Contrary to the instructions given them, it is clear from archeological findings that they did not either wipe out those peoples or completely dispossess them. They did kill some in battles and they did take some land. For the most part, though, they seem to have settled among those who were there, intermarried with them, and created a new society.
From David to the Hasmoneans
King David expanded the territory under Jewish control during his reign, but not significantly beyond the boundaries of the land as defined in the biblical text. The northern part of the territory was lost to the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Judea, itself, was lost in 586 BCE. While the Jews returned to Judea and the built the Second Temple in about 510 BCE, they lived there under Persian and then Greek rule.
The Jews next had sovereign control of the area between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea during the Hasmonean dynasty, from about 150 BCE until about 37 BCE. During that time, John Hyrcanus re-took some of the territory that David had conquered. Neither he nor his successors attempted to expand Israelite territory further.
Contrast to Islam and Christianity
Contrast the territorial history of the Jews with that of Muslims and Christians. The territory under Muslim control was aggressively expanded by armed conquest. From its 7th century beginnings in the desert of what is now Saudi Arabia, it came to control an area that spanned three continents. But Islam was not as assertive religiously as Christianity. Muslim leaders did not insist on conversion. Christian leaders were expansionist both geographically and religiously. They wanted to control territory and to convert those they conquered.
Judaism’s Restraint
Judaism has not sought to expand, to conquer, or to convert. In fact, territorial restraint is built into the warrant given to the Jews in the Bible.
The Israelites were told to divide the land that they were being given among the tribes. The amount of land given to each tribe was to be proportional to its size, and the specific land given to each tribe was to be decided by lot. But control of the land came with a crucial caveat.
Every fifty years, in the Jubilee year, everyone had to return to his ancestral holding. (Leviticus 25:10 & 13) If a person “sold” his land, he was really only selling the use of the land for the remainder of the 50-year Jubilee period. Because in the Jubilee year, everyone had to go back to his original assigned portion.
That implies that the borders should remain stable.
In Deuteronomy 20, the Bible sets out the Jewish laws of war. It provides for two kinds of war, each having different rules. After the land was initially occupied, the only wars in which people were obligated to participate were wars of self-defense; those were commanded wars. War for any other purpose, such as to expand territory, was optional.
Optional wars were not prohibited, but a person could give almost any excuse to avoid participating.
A person who had built a new house but hadn’t moved in did not have to fight. A person who was newly married did not have to fight. A person who had planted a vineyard but hadn’t yet harvested it did not have to fight. A person who was frightened or disheartened did not have to fight.
Those are not provisions that support an expansionist agenda. Quite the opposite.
Self-defense is required. War for any other reason is discouraged.
There has never been an expansionist Judaism. Jews have never sought and do not seek control of land outside the boundaries of the original promise. But the laws of commanded war now apply.
Everyone is obligated to participate in a war of self-defense.