Hebrew word · H6814

צֹ֫עַן

tzo'an

Zoan

Egyptian Djanet, Greek Tanis (modern San el-Hagar), in the north-eastern Nile Delta.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Zoan = "place of departure"

an ancient city of lower Egypt called Tanis by the Greeks; located on the eastern bank of the Tanitic branch of the Nile; the capital of the Shepherd dynasty, built 7 years after Hebron and existing before Abraham and the dwelling place of the Pharaoh at the time of the exodus

modern 'San'

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 13:22

Range of meaning

Egyptian Djanet, Greek Tanis (modern San el-Hagar), in the north-eastern Nile Delta.

Against the English

All major versions keep 'Zoan'. NLT adds 'the Egyptian city of'.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX renders it 'Tanis'. Ps 78:12, 43 places God's Exodus wonders in 'the field of Zoan'. Isa 19:11, 13 and 30:4 name it as a seat of Pharaoh's officials. Tanis became a royal capital in Egypt's 21st–22nd dynasties (from c. 1070 BC), built largely with monuments moved from nearby Pi-Ramesses. The nearby older capital, Avaris (Tell el-Dabʿa), flourished c. 1800–1550 BC. Josephus (Jewish War 4.530) reports a local claim that Hebron was older even than Memphis.

From the study of Psalm 78:12

Range of meaning

A proper name: Egyptian Djaʿnet, Greek Tanis, modern San el-Hagar, on the Tanitic branch of the north-eastern Nile Delta.

Against the English

All versions transliterate it as 'Zoan'. Few readers know it is Tanis, one of Egypt's great royal cities.

Used elsewhere in the period

Num 13:22 notes that Hebron was built 'seven years before Zoan in Egypt'. The prophets name it as a centre of Pharaoh's power and his counsellors (Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14). Tanis was the royal residence of the 21st and 22nd dynasties (c. 1070–720 BC), and it was filled with monuments of Ramesses II brought there from the earlier Ramesside capital Pi-Ramesses (at Qantir, nearby). The Septuagint has 'in the plain of Tanis' (en pediō Taneōs), and the Aramaic Targums likewise give the Greek name.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 13:22 צֹ֥עַן Zoan

    They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.

    Here: Zoan is the Egyptian city Djanet, called Tanis in Greek, in the north-eastern Nile Delta. Later Hebrew writings name it as a royal seat and the place of the Exodus wonders (Ps 78:12, 43; Isa 19:11; 30:4).

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 78:12 צֹֽעַן׃ Zoan

    He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

    Here: Zoan, a royal city in the north-eastern Nile Delta that the Greeks called Tanis. Naming it ties the Exodus to a known seat of Pharaoh's power, close to where the Israelites lived in Goshen.

  2. Psalm 78:43 צֹֽעַן׃ Zoan

    when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 19:11 צֹ֔עַן Zoan

    The princes of Zoan are mere fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?

    Here: A royal city in the north-east Nile Delta, the part of Egypt closest to Judah. It stands for the Egyptian court and its policy-makers.

  2. Isaiah 19:13 צֹ֔עַן Zoan

    The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray.

  3. Isaiah 30:4 בְצֹ֖עַן in Zoan

    For though their princes are at Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 30:14 בְּצֹ֑עַן in Zoan

    I will lay waste Pathros, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgment on Thebes.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.