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  • From: jimstinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Goshen
  • Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:19:16 -0400



The land of Biblical “Goshen” in the Patriarchal narratives can, in my
opinion, be identified linguistically. It is mentioned 10 times in Genesis.
Hebrew G$N or G%-N would have the following Egyptian equivalents. Hebrew
gimel is usually either Egyptian Q or Egyptian K [or Kh], though it might be
the rare Egyptian G. The vowel sounds in both languages are unknown, but
based on the Septuagint, we might guess E or I. Hebrew sin or shin is likely
S in Egyptian. There will be no -N in Egyptian, because that’s a west
Semitic suffix meaning “place”. However, there may be a vowel sound at the
end of the word in Egyptian.

So G%-N in Hebrew has as its Egyptian equivalent Qesy or Qis or Kis or Khis
or Gesa in Egyptian. That’s a perfect linguistic match to nome #14, in
central Egypt, as shown at the following websites [scroll down to nome 14 in
Upper Egypt, which is the second set of nomes/Egyptian administrative
districts, and remember that the much later Greek name was Cusae]:

(1) http://www.toutankharton.com/Nomes
(2) http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/nomes.htm
(3) http://egypttravelsearch.info/Cities/Asyut.html

In my controversial view, Jacob did not sojourn in the eastern delta in
Egypt. No, based on the linguistic evidence (and not relying on the
questionable single reference in the text to “Land of Ramses”, which is
anachronistic and may have been added to the text centuries later), Israel
sojourned in central Egypt. The land of G%-N in the Patriarchal narratives
is, in my opinion, the nome of Qis/Kis in central Egypt. The linguistic
match is perfect.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois




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