When we talk about 'Goshen', there seems to be a horde of linguistic problems which have seldom been confronted.Such as, the conspicuous absence of many essential and unique Hebrew terms referring exclusively to Egypt's landmarks (i.e. obviously giant structures that could not have been missed) the Pyramids, the Sphinx, obelisks etc..
Most of all, a proper name for the River Nile. Actually the name of this Mighty River is not found in the Scriptures, but frequently referred to as simply, "the river".
Absence of specific names for typically Egyptian animals like hippopotami and crocodiles.
Rather, these are translated into fantastic and vague terms such as: Leviathan, dragon or behemoth. All of which can be used to mean any fictitious monster.
And then, there is of course the topic of 'cats' or the lack thereof. This is rather puzzling, especially in the presence of the name 'Bubastis' which served as the capital of the Nome of Am-Khent. FYI, 'Bubastis' was a center of worship for the feline goddess Bas.
Finally, when it comes to mentioning 'Camels' we have a bigger problem, in that Ancient Egyptians did not know about camels until they were introduced by Persian conquerors in 525 BCE. This, despite Exodus 9:3 which seems to suggest otherwise, "since the Lord spoke of camels as among the prized herds of the Egyptians, along with cattle, horses, donkeys and sheep."
Any thoughts about the absence of these essential terms which would normally be descriptive of a long sojourn lasting for over four centuries?
Ishinan Ishibashi
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.