Genesis 47:11

III.. SRAEL IN GOSHEN.

11. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren.

Joseph, as prime minister, carried out the royal grant, and placed the Hebrew tribe in the land of Goshen. It was given to them as. possession while they sojourned in Egypt.. state again, what has been stated in preceding lessons, that we must not suppose that the number of settlers was only seventy. Abraham's encampment must have numbered thousands, as there were 318 trained fighting men. Esau, the brother of Jacob, led 400 men. Jacob had "two troops" when he returned from Padan Aram. The patriarchs were chieftains of nomadic tribes.

In the land of Rameses.

In Exodus 1:11, it is said that the Israelites built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. It is possible that Goshen is here called the land of Raamses, or Rameses, by anticipation, as it may have become familiarly known to the Israelites by the name of the "land of Rameses," after they built the city of that name in it. Very probably, however, the Israelites in their captivity only fortified and strengthened the city of Rameses, then already existing, and so fitted it to be. strong treasure city. The name of Rameses became famous in after times from the exploits of Rameses II.,. king of the nineteenth dynasty; but, he was of too late. date to have given name to. city, either in the time of Joseph, or that of the Exodus.-- Canon Cook. The Septuagint Version renders the word Heroopolis, which was evidently the name of the city when they made their version, nearly 1500 years after the time of Joseph.