GOSHEN. — 1. Named in connexion with the con
quests of Joshua in the south of Judah (Jos 10" II'", both 1)-). Its exact situation has not been dis- covered. It was a district (""is), not a city. 2. .4 toum in the hill-country of .ludah (Jos 15", P). Its site is unknown. 3. See next article.
GOSHEN (R'J city ?, Gn 46=8- ^, the point at which Jacob aimed in going down into Eg\q)t ; and land of G., Gn 45"> 46-''-^ 47"-<»-" 50*).— the conntrj- in Egypt in which Joseph proposed that his father and brethren should dwell during the famine, that they might profit by the wealth of Egypt, and be near to liim (Gn 45'°), which Pharaoh accordingly gritnted to them (47'), and in which the children of Israel remained, with their flocks and herds, through the oppression, until the Exodus (Ex 9^, cf. 12^-). It was suitable for a pastoral tribe, which would be, as such, an abomination to the Egyptians (Gn 46"). It evidently lay on the Syr. frontier (Gn 46-^), and was consiiiered appropriate for the temporary settlement of foieigners. When it is described as ' the best of the land ' (Gn 47'), that was no doubt from a shepherd's point of view, and it is generally considered that the Pharaoh who welcomed Jacob to Egypt belonged to one of the foreign dynasties, known as the Hyksos or Shepherd dynasties, and who were themselves hated by the Egyptians. The LXX, made, it must be remembered,' in Egypt, has important read- ings. ' In the land of G.' (Gn 45"') is if yi Viacfi 'Apa/3ias, so also 46** ; in tlie later passages the defining word 'kpaflias is dropped. In the Apocr. book of Judith (P-'") yn IVtre/i appears to be roughly all the borderland of Egypt E. of a line drawn from Tanis to Memphis, i.e. all the E. borderland of the Delta, with perhaps a good slice of the Delta itself, within the Pelusiac arm of the Nile. Ace. to the LXX the city of G. should b«
GUSHEX
GOSPF.L
333
Ilaioopolis; Gn 46^ 'ami lie sent Judali before him unto Josejib, to sliow tlie wiiy before liiiu unto G.; and tiiey came into the land of G.,' is simply auvavTTJffai aiVy Ka0' 'lipivuv irAXti', et$ yTjv 'Pafuatr-^, ' to meet him (Joseph) at Heroopolis, into the land of Itiimesse ' ; and in the next verse ' (Joseph went up to meet his father) to G.' xaB' llpuiuv iriXii", at Heroopolis. Hence we see that the Jewish view and tradition in the last centuries before Christ made the city of Heroopolis, near what was then the head of the Red Sea, the point at which Joseph met Jacob. Heroojiolis is now fixed by Rom. milestones at Tell el-Maslikftta in the Wady Tumllit, and is i)robably identical with Pithoni. It was the first important station in Egypt on the S. road from Syria, and therefore a very likely place for such a meeting. But the city of G. can hardly have been identical with Heroopolis, even to the Jews; this mention of Heroopolis must rather perhaps be considered as the translators' improvement on the original.
Tlio land of G. is to them the land of Gesem of Arabia. Now, from I'tolemy we know that Arabia was the name of a nome on the E. border of the Delta, with the capital Phacussa ; and ace. to Strabo, I'hacussa was the i>oint at which the canal to the Red Sea branched from the Nile. At the spot which best answers to this description, viz. Salt el-Henneh, monuments have been found naminj; Per-Sopd and i^es, or {^esem. In the nome-lists of Ptolemaic times the xx"" nome has the capital Per-Sopd, or ^esem, and is itself called Sopd. There can be no doubt that this is the nome of Arabia, and that ^esem is the equivalent of the LXX Gesem. In some cases the name of the city seems to bo written l^es, wliich then can be at once identilied with the principal element in the Gr. Phacussa. It would thus appear that Saft el- Henneh is the ancient Per-Sopd, Phacussa, l^es, and I^esem. There is, however, evidence of another kind that partly contradicts this. Farther N.E., beyond the entrance of the Wady Tumll.1t, there is an important village called FAl^fls, once capital of a large district corresponding to the Arab, nome, and identified by the later Copts with Phacussa. It is dillicult to avoid the conclusion that the Arab, nome had two capitals — one Per- Sopd = Saft (el-Henneh), the other I^Cesor lj;esem = Fakfts. Strabo would then have confused the two capitals in making Phacuss.a instead of Per-.Sopd the point at which the canal branched ott". If Jacob aimed at reaching Fakds, he would prob- ably have followed the N. route, close to the sea, since the S. route, to Heroopolis, would have taken him considerably out of his way. Why, then, does the LXX introduce Heroopolis for G. ? It will be seen that the subject is still surrounded with almost incredible dilHcultie.s. When we know what ancient site was occupied by tlie modern Falfrts, where considerable mounds still e.\ist, it will 1)6 possible to speak with greater certainty.
With regard to the extent of the land of G., if Judith is to be taken as authoritative, it included ml least four Kgjptian nomcs outside the Delta, viz. the Sethroite on the N.K. frontier, the Arab, and the lleliopolitan, and that of Heroopolis in the Wady TumtlAt. Po.^sibly, however, it should be restricted to the Arab, nome, perhaps from about Belbeis to FafeOs, althoiigh the Wady TumilAt ought also to be included. liy comparing Gn 47'''' with " we find that the laml of Hamesse and the land of G. are almost or quite identical.