Goshen was the region in Egypt where Jacob and his family settled during the time of Joseph, and where the Israelites lived and prospered until the Exodus (Genesis 45:10; 46:28-29, 34; 47:1, 4, 6, 27; 50:8; Exodus 8:22; 9:26).
Goshen was a fertile region in the eastern Nile Delta of Egypt, where Israel (or 'Jacob') and his family settled during the time of Joseph. When Joseph, as a high official in Egypt, invited his father and brothers to come to Egypt due to the famine in Canaan, he suggested that they settle in Goshen (Genesis 45:10). Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and be directed to Goshen (Genesis 46:28-29). The Israelites presented themselves to Pharaoh and requested to settle in Goshen as shepherds (Genesis 46:34; 47:1, 4). Pharaoh granted their request and allowed them to live in the best part of the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:6). The Israelites prospered and multiplied greatly in Goshen (Genesis 47:27). During the plagues that God sent upon Egypt, Goshen was spared from the swarms of flies and the plague of hail (Exodus 8:22; 9:26). At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites left Egypt from the region of Goshen (Genesis 50:8). The exact location of Goshen is not specified in the Bible, but it is believed to be in the eastern part of the Nile Delta, possibly in the Wadi Tumilat area.
Approximate location: 30.729, 31.805 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
(1.) A district in Egypt where Jacob and his family settled, and in which they remained till the Exodus (Gen. 45:10; 46:28, 29, 31, etc.). It is called “the land of Goshen” (47:27), and also simply “Goshen” (46:28), and “the land of Rameses” (47:11; Ex. 12:37), for the towns Pithom and Rameses lay within its borders; also Zoan or Tanis (Ps. 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” (Gen. 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 (Gen. 47:6). The inhabitants were not exclusively Israelites (Ex. 3:22; 11:2; 12:35, 36). (2.) A district in Palestine (Josh. 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 (Josh. 15:51).
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
11 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1657
You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own.
Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacobʼs family arrived in the land of Goshen,
Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”
Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”
the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number.
along with all of Josephʼs household, and his brothers, and his fatherʼs household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.
The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.