Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

PITHOM

One of the store cities (along with Rameses) built by the Israelites during their Egyptian captivity (Ex 1:11). There has been considerable debate among Egyptologists for over a century as to the identification of these sites. The identification of Rameses is fairly well established as being associated with Pirameses, the capital of Pharaoh Ramses II (1290–1224 BC). A number of ancient sites have been suggested for Rameses, but Tanis in the northeastern Delta for many years was the assumed location. However, Qantir, in the same general region, is the more likely spot.

Pithom is derived from the Egyptian phrase meaning “House of [the god] Atum.” This would have been a temple dedicated to the worship of the solar deity Atum. The Israelites would have been involved in building the storage facilities of the temple. Storage facilities from the mortuary temple of Ramses II in Thebes are well-preserved, long rectangular structures with arched roofs. They were built side by side and covered a significant portion of the mortuary complex. This gives us a fairly accurate picture of the sort of structures for which the Israelites were forced to provide bricks.

While the etymology of Pithom is known, its location continues to be a subject of scholarly discussion. The two sites most frequently associated with Pithom are Tell er-Retabah and Tell el-Maskhutah, both located in the Wadi Tumilat, which extends eastward from the Nile Delta to Lake Timsah. Excavations have taken place at both sites in recent years, and both tells have yielded evidence for the presence of Asiatics from Palestine and Syria. Since there might be a link between the Arabic name Maskhutah and Hebrew Succoth (mentioned in Ex 12:37 as a stopping-off point on the route of the exodus), Tell er-Retabah is now thought to be the best possible location for Pithom, and Maskhutah would be Succoth.