Goshen

Biblical Text

Goshen appears mainly in the latter part of Genesis and the opening chapters of Exodus.

• The promise of settlement: After revealing his identity to his brothers, Joseph says that he will have his father Jacob and the whole family live in the land of Goshen: "And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me" (Genesis 45:10).
• Pharaoh's permission: Joseph instructs his family to tell Pharaoh that they are herdsmen. Because every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians, he intended for them to live separately in Goshen (Genesis 46:31–34). Pharaoh grants them permission to dwell in Goshen, "in the best of the land" (Genesis 47:6). In the same chapter the land is also called "the best of the land, in the land of Rameses" (Genesis 47:11).
• Growth: Israel "dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly" (Genesis 47:27). When Jacob's funeral procession went up to Canaan, the little ones and the livestock were left behind in Goshen (Genesis 50:8).
• Distinction amid the plagues: During the plague of flies, one of the Ten Plagues, God declared, "I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there" (Exodus 8:22). Likewise, during the plague of hail there was no hail in the land of Goshen (Exodus 9:26).

The book of Joshua also mentions "all the country of Goshen" (Joshua 10:41) and "all the land of Goshen" (Joshua 11:16), as well as a town named Goshen in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:51). Both are place names in southern Canaan and are regarded as distinct from the Goshen in Egypt.

Background

Scripture describes Goshen as a region within Egypt that was well suited for raising livestock. Scholars generally place it in the eastern part of the Nile Delta (the plain formed by sediment deposited at the river's mouth), although its exact boundaries and location vary from one theory to another. The original meaning of the name "Goshen" has likewise not been determined with certainty. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, is reported to render the name differently in some passages, for example as "Gesem of Arabia."

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Goshen was the place where Israel grew from a single family into a great nation. It was also where Israel lived apart, without mingling with Egyptian society. Exodus portrays the land as a sign that God "put a division" between His people and the people of Egypt (Exodus 8:23). Israel eventually left this region and set out on the Exodus (Exodus 12:37). The name Goshen does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debates

• The scope of the plagues: It is often said that "all ten plagues passed over Goshen." However, the text names Goshen explicitly only in connection with the plagues of flies and hail. In the accounts of the plague on livestock (Exodus 9:4–6), the darkness (Exodus 10:23), and the death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:7), the text records only that the children of Israel were distinguished from the Egyptians, without using the name Goshen. The accounts of the first few plagues make no mention of such a distinction.
• Symbolic readings: In preaching, Goshen is sometimes interpreted as the place where God protects His people in the midst of the world. By contrast, some interpreters caution against reading Goshen solely as a promise of safety and prosperity, pointing out that the Israelites who flourished in Goshen later endured harsh bondage.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, "the land of Goshen" is frequently used in sermons and prayers as a metaphor for a place where God protects His people even in the midst of disaster or hardship. The name is also sometimes given to churches and prayer retreat centers.