Goshen: 1. A district in Egypt where Jacob and his family settled, and in
which they remained till the Exodus
(Genesis 45:10; 46:28,29,31)
etc. It is called "the land of Goshen"
(Genesis 47:27) and also
simply "Goshen"
(Genesis 46:28) and "the land of Rameses"
(Genesis 47:11; Exodus 12:37) for the towns Pithom and Rameses lay within
its borders; also Zoan or Tanis
(Psalms 78:12) It lay on the east
of the Nile, and apparently not far from the royal residence. It
was "the best of the land"
(Genesis 47:6,11) but is now a desert.
It is first mentioned in Joseph's message to his father. It has
been identified with the modern Wady Tumilat, lying between the
eastern part of the Delta and the west border of Palestine. It
was a pastoral district, where some of the king's cattle were
kept
(Genesis 47:6) The inhabitants were not exclusively
Israelites
(Exodus 3:22; 11:2; 12:35,36)
2. A district in Palestine
(Joshua 10:41; 11:16) It was a part of the
maritime plain of Judah, and lay between Gaza and Gibeon.
3. A town in the mountains of Judah
(Joshua 15:51)
