Store City

Biblical Text

The term "store city" first appears in Exodus 1. After a new king who did not know Joseph came to rule over Egypt, the Egyptians set taskmasters over the children of Israel and laid heavy burdens on them: "And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses" (Exodus 1:11). Later, Israel set out from this same Raamses on the exodus (Exodus 12:37).

Store cities also appear in the records of the Israelite monarchy.

• Solomon built store cities along with cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen (1 Kings 9:19; 2 Chronicles 8:4, 6).
• When Asa, king of Judah, induced the king of Syria (Aram) to attack the northern kingdom of Israel, the Syrian army struck "all the store cities of Naphtali" (2 Chronicles 16:4).
• As his kingdom grew strong, Jehoshaphat built "castles, and cities of store" in Judah (2 Chronicles 17:12).

Background and Meaning of the Term

The Hebrew arei miskenot means "cities of storehouses." It refers to strategic centers where military provisions, grain, and administrative supplies were collected. Such cities are generally understood to have been built along borders or major routes to support military operations and the collection of taxes. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, renders the term in Exodus 1:11 as "strong cities" and is also known to add "On" alongside Pithom and Raamses.

Several sites in the eastern Nile Delta have been proposed as the actual locations of Pithom and Raamses. Because scholars disagree, neither city can be identified definitively with a single site.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In Exodus, the store cities symbolize the forced labor and oppression endured by the Hebrews. The text records that the more Israel was oppressed, the more it increased: "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew" (Exodus 1:12). The term "store city" does not appear in the New Testament. However, Stephen's speech (Acts 7:17–19) and Hebrews 11:24–26 recall the suffering in Egypt and the choice made by Moses.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

Relation to the debate over the date of the exodus. The name "Raamses" frequently figures in the debate over the date of the exodus. Those who date the exodus to the thirteenth century BC associate the name with the reign of Ramesses II. Those who argue for an earlier date on the basis of 1 Kings 6:1 explain it differently, holding that the name reflects a later place name used in place of an earlier one. As an example, they point to Genesis 47:11, which refers to "the land of Rameses" even though it describes the time of Joseph.

Interpretation of Solomon's building projects. Some interpreters draw attention to Solomon's construction of store cities and his conscription of laborers (1 Kings 9:15). In this critical reading, Israel, having endured forced labor in Egypt, repeated similar practices under the monarchy. The text itself, however, presents Solomon's building projects as evidence of the kingdom's prosperity and does not directly evaluate them.

Accounts outside the text. It is often said that the Israelites built the pyramids. However, the biblical text describes the building of store cities and labor such as making bricks and mixing mortar (Exodus 1:14). The Bible does not mention the building of pyramids.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching on Exodus, the store cities usually appear as a term illustrating the hard bondage in Egypt. Together with the statement in the same passage that the more the Israelites were afflicted, the more they multiplied, the term is used in discussing faith amid suffering.