Place Old Testament
Zoan
Zoan was an ancient Egyptian city where God performed miracles through Moses; it is probably to be identified with Tanis . Mentioned in 7 verses across 4 books, first at Numbers 13:22.
Why it matters. An ancient Egyptian city, probably Tanis
- Primary passages
- Location
- 30.975, 31.884 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zoan
Zoan was an ancient city of Egypt, mentioned in several contexts in the Bible. It was one of the cities built by the Israelites during their enslavement in Egypt (Num.13.22). The fields of Zoan were the site of God's miracles and mighty acts during the time of Moses (Psa.78.12,43). The princes of Zoan are described as fools, unable to give wise counsel to Pharaoh (Isa.19.11,13). Zoan is also mentioned as a place where the rebellious Israelites sent messengers, seeking help from Egypt rather than trusting in God (Isa.30.4). Ezekiel prophesied that Zoan would be in terror and face God's judgment (Ezk.30.14). Zoan is most likely to be identified with Tanis, an important city in the Nile Delta region of ancient Egypt. It served as a capital during the 21st and 22nd dynasties.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 7 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.