Bible Dictionaries
Rameses

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ram' eh ssahss) Egyptian capital city and royal residence during the nineteenth and twentieth dynasties (about 1320-1085 B.C.). The exact location is uncertain, although it appears to have been in the Nile delta and may be the same as Tanis or Zoan. It was near the area where the Hebrews had settled under Joseph's administration (Genesis 47:11 ). After the Israelites became slaves, they were forced to help build Rameses and Pithom (Exodus 1:11 ) as store cities for Pharaoh Rameses II. Rameses accommodated seagoing vessels from the Mediterranean Sea and river traffic from the Nile. Surrounding the city were groves of fruit trees and vineyards. The city was quite prosperous because of the commerce which went through its port. See Egypt; Exodus; Pithom .