Lexical Summary Raamses or Rameses: Raamses or Rameses Original Word: רַעְמְסֵס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Raamses, Rameses Or Raamcec {rah-am-sace'}; of Egyptian origin; Rameses or Raamses, a place in Egypt -- Raamses, Rameses. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition a city in Eg. NASB Translation Raamses (1), Rameses (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs ַרעַמְסֵס proper name, of a location Exodus 1:11 (J), = רַלְמְסֵס Genesis 47:11; Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3,5 (all P), Ramses, city in Egypt; Ραμες(ς)η; built by King Rameses II (hence its name; the king used Israelitish corveve according to Exodus 1:11), near Tel el-Maskhuta (Pithom), but not certainly identified, see מִּהֹם and references; ׳אֶרֶץ ר Genesis 47:11 of district round. [רָעַן] verb only Pa`lel be or grow luxuriant, fresh, green; — Perfect3feminine singular רַעֲנָ֑נָה (DeHiob) Job 15:32 (of branch, in figure). Topical Lexicon Geographic Location and Historical Setting Rameses refers to a district in the eastern Nile Delta, the heartland of ancient Goshen. Later Egyptian sources call the area Pi-Ramesses, the royal residence city of Pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. Scripture consistently places it at the northern edge of Egypt’s fertile zone, easily accessible to caravan routes that led east toward Canaan and south toward Sinai. Its irrigated pasturelands made it “the best part of the land” (Genesis 47:11), well suited for Jacob’s flocks. Centuries later it had become a center of royal construction and grain storage, explaining why the enslaved Israelites were forced to build it as a “store city for Pharaoh” (Exodus 1:11). Biblical Narrative Overview 1. Settlement under Joseph – Genesis 47:11 records that Jacob’s family was granted estates “in the district of Rameses,” marking the beginning of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. Rameses and the Covenant Promises The Abrahamic covenant foretold both affliction in a foreign land and a dramatic deliverance accompanied by great possessions (Genesis 15:13-14). Rameses functions as the geographical book-end of that prophecy. The same fields that initially sheltered Jacob’s clan became the locus of their bondage; the same gates witnessed the miraculous exodus that propelled the people toward the land sworn to their fathers. Thus Rameses underscores God’s faithfulness to reverse oppression and keep covenant promises despite changing political regimes. Typological and Redemptive Themes • From Plenty to Bondage to Freedom – Rameses moves from blessing (Genesis 47) to tyranny (Exodus 1) to liberation (Exodus 12), mirroring humanity’s fall, captivity to sin, and deliverance through the blood of the Passover Lamb. Archaeological Considerations Excavations at modern Qantir and Tell el-Dabʿa reveal extensive Ramesside-era stables, palaces, and storage facilities, fitting the biblical depiction of large building projects requiring massive labor. Pottery and scarabs indicate Asiatic (Semitic) populations living in the delta during the Late Bronze Age, lending plausibility to the presence of a sizeable Hebrew community. While scholarly debates continue over exact chronology, the material culture aligns with Scripture’s description of brick production, royal granaries, and strategic road networks radiating from the city. Ministry and Devotional Implications • God plants His people where they can flourish, even in foreign soil, yet He reserves the right to uproot them for a greater purpose. Summary Rameses stands as a tangible marker of God’s sovereignty over history—transforming a place of initial refuge into a crucible of oppression, then into the stage for a mighty deliverance. Its five Old Testament appearances trace the arc of promise, suffering, and redemption, reinforcing the unbroken consistency of God’s saving purposes from Genesis through the Exodus and into the life of the Church today. Forms and Transliterations מֵֽרַעְמְסֵס֙ מֵרַעְמְסֵ֑ס מֵרַעְמְסֵ֖ס מרעמסס רַעְמְסֵ֑ס רַעַמְסֵֽס׃ רעמסס רעמסס׃ mê·ra‘·mə·sês mêra‘məsês merameSes ra‘·mə·sês ra‘amsês ra‘məsês ra·‘am·sês raamSes rameSesLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 47:11 HEB: הָאָ֖רֶץ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ רַעְמְסֵ֑ס כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה NAS: in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh KJV: in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh INT: of the land the land of Rameses after had ordered Exodus 1:11 Exodus 12:37 Numbers 33:3 Numbers 33:5 5 Occurrences |
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