Bible Encyclopedia: Raamses

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

RAAMSES; RAMESES

ra-am'-sez, ram'-e-sez (Exodus 1:11), (Genesis 47:11 Exodus 12:37 Numbers 33:3, 5) (ra`mecec, ra`amcec; Rhamesse; Egyptian Ra-messu, "Ra created him" (or "it")):

1. The Meaning of "Store-Cities":

One of the two "settlements" (mickenoth) built, or "built up," by the Hebrews for the Pharaoh, the other being Pithom, to which the Septuagint adds a third, namely, "On which is Heliopolis," a town near Cairo (Exodus 1:11). The Hebrew term mickenoth comes from a root meaning "to settle down" (Arabic sakan, "settlement," Assyrian sakanu or shakanu, "to set"), but it is rendered "strong cities" in Septuagint, "treasure cities" in the King James Version, and (incorrectly) "store-cities" in the Revised Version: The "land of Rameses," where Jacob and his sons settled, was apparently the "field of Zoan" (see ZOAN), thus lying in the Delta East of the Bubastic branch of the Nile.

2. The Meaning of the Name:

It is often assumed that no city called Rameses would have existed before the time of Rameses II, or the 14th century B.C., though even before Rameses I the name occurs as that of a brother of Horemhib under the XVIIIth Dynasty. The usual translation "Child of Ra" is grammatically incorrect in Egyptian and as Ra was an ancient name for the "sun" it seems possible that a town may have borne the title "Ra created it" very early. The mention of Rameses in Genesis (47:11) is often regarded as an anachronism, since no scholar has supposed that Jacob lived as late as the time of Rameses II. This would equally apply to the other notices, and at most would serve to mark the age of the passages in the Pentateuch where Rameses is mentioned, but even this cannot be thought to be proved (see EXODUS). According to De Rouge (see Pierret, Vocab. Hieroglyph., 1875, 143) there were at least three towns in Lower Egypt that bore the name Pa Rames-ses ("city of Rameses"); but Brugsch supposes that the place mentioned in the Old Testament was Zoan, to which Rameses II gave this name when making it his capital in the Delta. Dr. Budge takes the same view, while Dr. Naville and others suppose that the site of Raamses has still to be found.

3. Situation:

There appears to have been no certain tradition preserving the site, for though Silvia (about 385 A.D.) was told that it lay 4 miles from the town of Arabia (see GOSHEN), she found no traces of such a place. Brugsch ("A New City of Rameses, 1876," Aegyptische Zeitschrift, 69) places one such city in the southern part of Memphis itself. Goodwin (Rec. of Past, Old Series, VI, 11) gives an Egyptian letter describing the "city of Rameses-Miamun," which appears to be Zoan, since it was on the seacoast. It was a very prosperous city when this letter was written, and a pa-khennu or "palace city." It had canals full of fish, lakes swarming with birds, fields of lentils, melons, wheat, onions and sesame, gardens of vines, almonds and figs. Ships entered its harbor; the lotus and papyrus grew in its waters. The inhabitants greeted Rameses II with garlands of flowers. Besides wine and mead, of the "conqueror's city," beer was brought to the harbor from the Kati (in Cilicia), and oil from the "Lake Sagabi." There is no reason to suppose that Zoan was less prosperous in the early Hyksos age, when the Hebrews dwelt in its plain, whatever be the conclusion as to the date when the city Rameses received that name. The description above given agrees with the Old Testament account of the possession given by Joseph to his family "in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses" (Genesis 47:11).

C. R. Conder

Strong's Hebrew

7486. Raamses -- a city in Egypt
Raamses or Rameses. 7485, 7486. Raamses or Rameses. 7487 . a city in
Egypt. Transliteration: Raamses or Rameses Phonetic Spelling ...
/hebrew/7486.htm - 6k

Library

Moses
... Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithon and Raamses. . . . ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon ix moses.htm

Prosperity under Persecution
... Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/prosperity under persecution.htm

Here Next Followeth the History of Moses
... Then he ordained provosts and masters over them to set them awork and put them to
affliction of burdens. They builded to Pharaoh two towns, Pithom and Raamses. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here next followeth the history.htm

Four Shaping Centuries
... Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pharaoh treasure-cities, Pithom and Raamses.12. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/four shaping centuries.htm

The Secret of Its Greatness
... in the world. 'And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses,'
(Exodus 1:11) that is, store-cities. In Egypt many ...
/.../duff/the bible in its making/chapter ii the secret of.htm

Chapter xlvii
... Rameses. For the store cities Pithom and Raamses (Exodus 1:11), which the
children of Israel built, seem to have stood on this site. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlvii.htm

The Reaction against Egypt
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 5. <. ...
/.../chapter iithe reaction against egypt.htm

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Raamses

(Exodus 1:11) [RAMESES, OR RAAMSES]

ATS Bible Dictionary

Raamses

Or Rameses, a city built by the Hebrews during their servitude in Egypt, Exodus 1:11. It was situated in the land of Goshen; and appears to have been the capital of that country, Genesis 47:10. From it they commenced their united exodus from Egypt, Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3,5. It is thought to have been on the line of the ancient canal from the Nile to the Red sea, and some thirty-five miles northwest of Suez.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Exodus 1:11). (see RAMESES.)

Thesaurus

Raamses (1 Occurrence)
...RAAMSES; RAMESES. ... Dr. Budge takes the same view, while Dr. Naville and others
suppose that the site of Raamses has still to be found. ...
/r/raamses.htm - 10k

Rameses (5 Occurrences)
... This was the general rendezvous of the Israelites before they began their march
out of Egypt. Called also Raamses (Exodus 1:11). Int. ...RAAMSES; RAMESES. ...
/r/rameses.htm - 13k

Pithom (1 Occurrence)
... it is generally explained to be the Egyptian Pa-tum, or "city of the setting sun."
It was one of the cities built by the Hebrews (see RAAMSES), and according ...
/p/pithom.htm - 12k

Ra-am'ses (1 Occurrence)
Ra-am'ses. Raamses, Ra-am'ses. Rabbah . Multi-Version Concordance ... They built
storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. (See RSV). ...
/r/ra-am'ses.htm - 6k

Ramses
...RAAMSES; RAMESES. ... Dr. Budge takes the same view, while Dr. Naville and others
suppose that the site of Raamses has still to be found. ...
/r/ramses.htm - 10k

City
... The Israelites in Egypt were employed in building the "treasure cities" of Pithom
and Raamses (Exodus 1:11); but it does not seem that they had any cities of ...
/c/city.htm - 43k

Store-cities (5 Occurrences)
... stor'-cit-iz (mickenoth): the Revised Version (British and American) Exodus 1:11
(of PITHOM and RAAMSES (which see)) for the King James Version "treasure cities ...
/s/store-cities.htm - 8k

Goshen (16 Occurrences)
... field (or pastoral plain) of Zoan," which was probably also the "land of Rameses"
mentioned (Genesis 47:11) as possessed by Jacob's family (see RAAMSES; ZOAN). ...
/g/goshen.htm - 19k

Zoan (7 Occurrences)
... have been found at the site, which favors the conclusion that its plain was that
"land of Rameses" (Genesis 47:11 Exodus 12:37; see RAAMSES) where the Hebrews ...
/z/zoan.htm - 17k

Overseers (47 Occurrences)
... less by the weight of their work. And they made store-towns for Pharaoh,
Pithom and Raamses. (BBE). Exodus 5:6 The same day Pharaoh ...
/o/overseers.htm - 22k

Bible Concordance

Raamses (1 Occurrence)

Exodus 1:11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS)

Subtopics

Raamses

Related Terms

Rameses (5 Occurrences)

Pithom (1 Occurrence)

Ra-am'ses (1 Occurrence)

Ramses

City

Store-cities (5 Occurrences)

Goshen (16 Occurrences)

Zoan (7 Occurrences)

Overseers (47 Occurrences)