Where in Egypt Did the Israelites Live/2

Where in Egypt Did the Israelites Live?

Exegetical Approaches

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Throughout Egypt

The Israelites were not confined to Goshen and settled throughout Egypt.

Sources:PhiloOn the Life of Moses I XXVI:143-146About Philo, Ibn EzraShemot Short Commentary 1:7Shemot Short Commentary 8:19About R. Avraham ibn Ezra,¹ R. Eliezer AshkenaziMa'asei Hashem Ma'asei Avot 42Ma'asei Hashem Ma'asei Mitzraim 4Ma'asei Hashem Ma'asei Mitzraim 12About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ma'asei Hashem), MalbimBereshit 45:10Bereshit 47:27Shemot 1:7About R. Meir Leibush Weiser, NetzivBereshit 45:10Bereshit 46:34Bereshit 47:27Shemot 1:7About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin

Original settlement in Goshen

• According to R"E Ashkenazi, Malbim, and Netziv the Israelites originally settled in Goshen so as to prevent assimilation and preserve their national identity.  Since the region was isolated from the Egyptians, it was easy to avoid mingling with Egyptians and being influenced by their idolatrous ways.  However, this original plan did not last.
• Alternatively, this position could suggest that the nation settled in Goshen for more practical reasons, either due to the economic benefits of Goshen's grazing land, or its proximity to Yosef.  With the passage of time, though, both of these advantages might have become irrelevant.  See Why Live in Goshen? for more.

"וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם"

• Egyptian cities – Most of these sources understand the word "הָאָרֶץ" to refer to Egypt as a whole and maintain that this verse describes the spread of the Israelites out of Goshen into other Egyptian cities. 
• Fields – Maasei Hashem, in contrast, does not think that the term refers to Egypt proper, but rather more literally to fields.²  The nation multiplied, and without sufficient housing, sprawled out to live in the fields surrounding Goshen and on the Nile.

Why move out? These sources offer several possible reasons for the people's moving out of Goshen:

• Involuntary Move
• Proliferation – Malbim and R"E Ashkenazi assume that, due to the nation's great proliferation, Goshen could no longer contain them.  According to R"E Asheknazi, however, they did not on their own buy houses amidst the Egyptians.  It was Paroh who built urban housing for them so that the midwives would arrive in time for the delivery of their babies, enabling his plan of genocide.³  For more, see ויעש להם בתים.
• Slavery – RambanShemot 1:11About R. Moshe b. Nachman posits that the Israelites were not just slaves to Paroh, but also to individuals.  If so, it is possible that a percentage of Israelites were forced to live as house servants in Egypt proper.
• Voluntary Move
• Desire for integration – Netziv asserts, in contrast, that the move was voluntary and related to the Israelites' desire to mingle with Egyptian society.  They disregarded Yaakov's wish that they be "a nation that lives alone" and preferred to acculturate.
• Goshen lost its advantages – Alternatively if the original settlement was motivated by the presence of Yosef nearby, when he died, the location was no longer particularly desirable. Similarly, with the passage of time it is possible that the Israelites broadened their occupations beyond shepherding, and no longer looked only for good grazing land.

Assimilation of Israelites – Netziv emphasizes how the move promoted the assimilation of the nation, leading them to worship idolatry like their neighbors and forego circumcision.  This, he claims, was one of the causes of the enslavement.⁴  For elaboration, see both Religious Identity in Egypt and Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.

Borrowing from Egyptian neighbors – R. Ashkenazi points to this as evidence that the nation lived in Egypt proper.  He claims that the neighbors cannot refer to Egyptians living in Goshen since the region was too small to house a significant enough number of them⁵ so as to enable the enrichment of the Israelites.⁶  Moreover, the phrase "וַיְנַצְּלוּ אֶת מִצְרָיִם" suggests that the Israelites exploited those in Egypt itself.

Skipping over doorposts – R. Ashkenazi points out that the need to "skip" over Israelite homes only makes sense if they were spread out among the Egyptian dwellings.  Since Hashem says אֲנִי יוֹצֵא" בְּתוֹךְ מִצְרָיִם", it sounds like both groups were in Egypt proper and not Goshen.

"רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" – This verse and the similar one in Shemot 8:18 would seem to suggest that Goshen, rather than Egypt at large, was where the Israelites lived.  This position could explain that the verses simply emphasize that it was an Israelite rather than Egyptian neighborhood,⁷ or that it was where the majority (but not all) of the Israelite nation lived.

Separation during the Plagues – The geographic distinction between Goshen and Egypt mentioned by the plagues of  ערוב  and ברד is difficult for this position as it suggests that one region was home to the Egyptians and one to the Israelites.

• Ethnic distinction – Philo asserts that in reality the plagues differentiated based on ethnicity rather than geography (as it seems from Shemot 9:4),⁸ and would likely explain that these verses are simply speaking in general terms according to the majority in each place (דבר הכתוב בהווה).‎⁹
• Geographic split – Alternatively there really was only a geographic distinction in these plagues, and those Israelites living outside Goshen suffered along with the Egyptians. If it was this part of the nation that had assimilated, maybe they needed to learn the lessons of the plagues firsthand just like their neighbors.¹⁰  See Whom and Where Did the Plagues Strike? for a full discussion of the various possibilities.

Slaves to the State or to individuals? This approach could suggest that there was both State sponsored slavery in Egypt and also individual slave-owners.

Only in Goshen

The Nation of Israel lived in the region of Goshen and never spread throughout the rest of the country.  This position subdivides regarding whether or not any Egyptians lived in Goshen with them:

Integrated with Egyptians

Egyptians lived alongside the Israelites in Goshen.

Sources:Lekach TovShemot 1:21Shemot 12:13About R. Toviah b. Eliezer,  Ibn EzraShemot Long Commentary 1:7Shemot Long Commentary 2:3Shemot Long Commentary 3:22Shemot Long Commentary 12:27About R. Avraham ibn Ezra,¹¹ R. Yosef ibn KaspiShemot 3:22Shemot 10:23About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi, RalbagBereshit Beur HaMilot 46:34Beur HaMilot Shemot 1:7Beur HaMilot Shemot 8:19Beur HaMilot Shemot 10:23About R. Levi b. Gershom, HaKetav VeHaKabbalahShemot 10:23About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg, R. David Zvi Hoffmann #1Shemot 1:7Shemot 3:21, fn. 123Shemot 10:23Shemot 11:2About R. David Zvi Hoffmann¹²

Original settlement in Goshen – According to Ralbag, the Israelites initially settled in Goshen both because of its rich grazing lands and because it was mostly uninhabited by Egyptians.  This allowed the nation to remain united and protected from both anti-Semitic acts and the detrimental influence of Egyptian culture and beliefs.¹³

"וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם" – These sources maintain that the land spoken of in this verse is Goshen rather than Egypt.  As they multiplied, the nation filled the entire region.

Egyptians in Goshen

• Always a presence – According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, when Yosef settled the nation in Goshen, he had not emptied it of its original inhabitants and from the very beginning some Egyptians lived alongside the Israelites.¹⁴
• Arrived later – According to Lekach Tov, in contrast, it was only later that Egyptians moved in, and they did so at the behest of Paroh.  In the aftermath of Paroh's decree to kill male babies, he relocated Egyptians to live amidst the Israelite population to spy and enforce the law.¹⁵  It is also possible that at some point Egyptians on their own moved into Goshen.

Hiding Moshe – Ibn Ezra suggests that it is likely that Yocheved could no longer keep Moshe in the house because their Egyptian neighbors in Goshen heard him cry.

Borrowing from Egyptian neighbors – Ibn Ezra, Ralbag and R. D"Z Hoffmann point to this verse as evidence that Egyptians must have lived near the Israelites.  Ibn Ezra and Ibn Kaspi add that the term "וּמִגָּרַת בֵּיתָהּ" proves that in some cases the Egyptians had even moved into the Israelite homes.  This is more likely in Goshen, where the Israelites had a stronghold (אחוזה)‎¹⁶ and owned the houses,¹⁷ than in Egypt proper where they likely could have moved in with other Egyptians or bought their own dwelling

Skipping over doorposts – The need to mark the Israelite doors is further as evidence that Egyptian homes bordered on those of the Israelites.¹⁸  These sources could suggest that the preface, "וְעָבַרְתִּי בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם" does not limit the killing and passing over to Egypt proper, but is rather a general term which includes both the main cities and Goshen.

"רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" – This verse supports the position that Goshen was the abode of the Israelites.

Separation during the Plagues – If the Egyptians lived together with the Israelites in Goshen, the geographic distinction mentioned by the plagues of ערוב, ברד and חושך is difficult if one assumes that the Egyptians were the target of the plagues.. 

• Ethnic component – Ralbag explains that by ערוב the verse adds also "וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ"  to limit the salvation afforded by Goshen;¹⁹ despite Goshen as a whole being spared, Egyptians living there were nonetheless affected. Similarly, by the Plague of Dakrness, the verse states "וּלְכׇל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה אוֹר בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָם", to teach that only in Israelite houses, not Goshen as a whole, was there light.²⁰  It is possible, too, that even though no hail rained on Goshen, the Egyptians living there were affected by the plague as well, not during the storm, but the following year via lack of crops.
• Geographic split– Ibn Kaspi suggests, in contrast, that in reality the plagues did differentiate only geographically, and any Israelite who happened to be on work detail in Egypt proper found himself endangered.²¹ Since Israelites did not live outside of Goshen, however, only a minority would have been harmed.²² This assumes that Hashem differentiated in a more natural manner, which allowed for both collateral damage and salvation.

Slaves to the State or to individuals? According to this position, slavery in Egypt was only State sponsored and individual Egyptians did not take Hebrews as house servants. Thus, the Israelites lived in their own homes in Goshen and traveled to work for Paroh.

Segregated from Egyptians

Goshen was reserved for the Israelites and no Egyptians dwelt there.

Sources:R. David Zvi Hoffmann #2Shemot 1:7Shemot 10:23Shemot 11:2About R. David Zvi Hoffmann²³

Settlement in Goshen – This position could suggest that the original move to Goshen was motivated by a desire to live apart from the Egyptians so as to best prevent acculturation into Egyptian society.

Why no Egyptians? It is possible that while the Children of Israel had looked to create a sheltered shtetl, eventually the region became a ghetto. Egyptians, viewing shepherds as an "abomination", had no desire to move into the area, and likewise prohibited the Israelites from living with them. When the Israelites were further degraded with the enslavement, the desire for segregation intensified. R. Chananelcited by R. Bachya Shemot 3:9About R. Chananel b. Chushiel, in fact, understands the phrase "רָאִיתִי אֶת הַלַּחַץ אֲשֶׁר מִצְרַיִם לֹחֲצִים אֹתָם" to mean that the Egyptians pressed the nation to remain in Goshen, despite their proliferation.

"וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם" – R. Hoffmann asserts that this refers to filling the land of Goshen, not Egypt as a whole.

Hiding Moshe – This position might assert, as do RashbamShemot 2:2About R. Shemuel b. Meir and R"Y Behor Shor, that the Egyptians actively sent people to check the homes of women who had been pregnant.  Yocheved did not fear that the baby's cries would be overheard (since there were no neighboring Egyptians), but was concerned about these officials who were due to visit.²⁴

"רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" – This verse (and Shemot 8:18) support the idea Goshen was home to the Israelites rather than the Egyptians.

Separation during the Plagues – The explicitly mentioned differentiation between Goshen and Egypt makes sense according to this position, which posits total segregation between the two groups.  As such, the geographic distinction mentioned in some of the verses is equivalent to the ethnic one mentioned by other plagues.²⁵

"וְשָׁאֲלָה אִשָּׁה מִשְּׁכֶנְתָּהּ וּמִגָּרַת בֵּיתָהּ"

• Non-Egyptian neighbors –This approach might suggest that while no Egyptians lived in Goshen, other foreigners did, and they are the ones referred to as neighbors and tenants.  If so, the word "מִצְרָיִם" in the phrases "וְנִצַּלְתֶּם אֶת מִצְרָיִם" and "וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם" would refer to the people living in Egypt rather than the Egyptians themselves.²⁶
• Egyptians in Egypt proper – Alternatively, the position might suggest that the word "שכן" need not refer to a neighbor who lives close by but rather to anyone  in the larger vicinity.  The phrase would then be equivalent to the term "וְיִשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ מֵאֵת רֵעֵהוּ" in the parallel verse in Shemot 11:2.  The term "גָּרַת בֵּיתָהּ" is more difficult to explain, but could perhaps refer to slave-masters with whom the Israelites might have lived at times.²⁷

Skipping over doorposts – This approach could suggest that the word "פָסַחְתִּי" means "I will protect or have mercy" rather than skip over,²⁸ and that the verse does even not speak about differentiating one home from another.  The purpose of the blood smearing, too, was unrelated to marking the homes as "Israelite" and might have related instead to the sacrificial nature of the Pesach ritual, or perhaps served as a demonstrative act of faith in Hashem which was necessary for their salvation.  See Purpose of the Pesach for elaboration on these understandings of the ritual.

¹ This is Ibn Ezra's opinion in his short commentary.  In his long commentary, he seems to suggest that they were limited to Goshen.

² "הָאָרֶץ" literally means the land, not an entire country or specific region.

³ He also asserts that these housing complexes enabled the Egyptians to better carry out his decree of throwing the babies into the Nile.  Paroh did not expect the Egyptians to enter every Israelite home in search of babies, but rather told them that if they see any of their neighbors with a baby who had been born before the arrival of the midwives, they should take it.

⁴ According to him Paroh's decrees served as Hashem's vehicle to prevent further assimilation.

⁵ According to him and Netziv, Yosef's policy of population displacement had emptied Goshen of Egyptians in advance of the Israelite settlement there so even if some had moved in later, they would still be a very small group.

⁶ He suggests that the amount they would have been give would never amount to the "רְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל" that they were promised.

⁷ In other words, even though Israelite lived both in and out of Goshen, no (or very few) Egyptians lived in Goshen.

⁸ Ibn Ezra and Netziv point out that by מכת ערוב, after mentioning the geographic distinction, the verse adds "וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ" to clarify that the Israelites who did not live in Goshen were also spared.

⁹ Goshen and Egypt thus substitute for the terms Israelite and Egyptian.

¹⁰ Alternatively, this was due to the fact that each was inhabited by a majority of either Israelites or Egyptians and though Hashem separated between the two, He did so via more natural means.

¹¹ This is what emerges from his Long Commentary to Shemot 1:7.  In his Short Commentary to the verse, however, he posits that they spread throughout the country.  His other comments all work off the assumption of an integrated society but do not specify if this was in Goshen or Egypt at large.

¹² See above that he also raises the possibility that the nation was totally segregated from the Egyptians. See also R. Saadia GaonTafsir Shemot 1:7Commentary Shemot 1:7About R. Saadia Gaon, R. Yonah ibn JanachSefer HaRikmah Sha’ar 28About R. Yonah ibn Janach, ShadalShemot 1:7Shemot 1:15About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, and R. S"R HirschShemot 1:7Shemot 11:2-3About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch who all assert that the nation remained in Goshen as well, but do not elaborate whether or not Egyptians lived there with them.

¹³ See also R. Hirsch who simlarly highlights the Israelite need to distance themselves form the Egyptians whose occupation and spirit were both radically different from that of Israel.

¹⁴ Ralbag raises the possibility that these Egyptians were those who were more sympathetic to the Israelites and thus not viewed as a threat by Yosef.  However, he prefers the possibility that Goshen was basically empty and not built up when the Israelites arrived and would probably suggest that only over time did several Egyptian families move in.  Being a minority, they did not present a real danger to the Israelite population.

¹⁵ This is how Lekach Tov understands the phrase, "וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם בָּתִּים".  For details, see ויעש להם בתים.  Cf. R. D"Z Hoffmann who also suggests that even if the Children of Israel were mainly segregated from Egyptians, of necessity, there would have been some Egyptian administrators dispersed among them.

¹⁶ See Bereshit 47:27, "וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן וַיֵּאָחֲזוּ בָהּ".

¹⁷ One might question why Egyptians would want to live surrounded by Israelites, but if Goshen was really the "best of the land" and the influx took place when the Israelites were still honored by Paroh (before the enslavement), the choice is understandable.

¹⁸ The verse alone, however, can not be used to prove that this integration was in Goshen rather than in Egypt at large.

¹⁹ Cf. Ibn Ezra (short commentary) and Netziv in the note above who suggest the inverse, that the phrase expanded the salvation to include Israelites also outside of Goshen.

²⁰ "מוֹשְׁבֹתָם" means dwelling, not the city that they inhabited.  See R. D"Z Hoffmann as well.

²¹ For a larger discussion of his approach, see Whom and Where Did the Plagues Strike?

²² Though he does not say so explicitly, presumably any Egyptian living in Goshen would be likewise saved.

²³ This is a second possibility raised by R. D"Z Hoffmann.  He also develops the idea that the nations were integrated.

²⁴ According to this understanding, it is possible that when Yocheved hid Moshe in the reeds, she had not planned that anyone would find him, but rather that she would retrieve him after the danger had passed and the officials left.

²⁵ The position might explain that the Torah only uses different language for literary variation.

²⁶ According to this reading, one would have to posit that the "borrowing" was not  a means of attaining remuneration for years of unpaid labor (otherwise they should have turned to the Egyptians).  It could have been a request for religious sponsorship or compensation for the houses and lands they were leaving behind, presumably soon to be filled by these neighbors.  For various ways to understand the episode, see Reparations and Despoiling Egypt.

²⁷ From context, however, the word "בֵּיתָהּ" would seem to refer to the Israelite home.

²⁸ See Yeshayahu 31:5 where the word is parallel to "יָגֵן" and "וְהִצִּיל".