Poole, Reginald S.: The cities of Egypt (London, 1882)

GOSHEN.

9S

well as a land of Goshen. Why then was Goshen in
Arabia, Gesem of Arabia, part, not the whole of the
Nome ? This is because the old province was twofold,
so that when it was at last officially divided, the ter-
ritory of Goshen remained attached to the chief town
of the same name in the limited Arabian Nome, the
other portion being separated as another province.
This division actually took place under the Ptolemies;
and it is at once a note of time, and a curious mark
of accuracy, that the translators of the Septuagint,
writing before the division, indicate Goshen as part of
the Arabian Nome. It is remarkable, too, that, while
they knew this much, they could not tell which part
was the old Hebrew settlement, for it seems from
two passages that they identified the land of Goshen
with the part that was ultimately cut off, in spite of the
part that remained carrying with it the old capital. All
this detail may seem very tiresome, but it is really very
important. It gives us two great results. When we do
not know where the events of history happened, they
become vague ; moving, as it were, from place to place,
they lose their strength of outline and distinctness of
colour; no sooner are they fixed than they become real.