Psalms 78:12

78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. ¹ 

Psalms 78:43

78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds ²  in Egypt,

and his acts of judgment ³  in the region of Zoan.

Isaiah 19:11

19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; ⁴ 

Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.

How dare you say to Pharaoh,

“I am one of the sages,

one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” ⁵ 

Isaiah 30:4

30:4 Though his ⁶  officials are in Zoan

and his messengers arrive at Hanes, ⁷ 

[78:12]  ¹ sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).

[78:43]  ² tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[78:43]  ³ tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).

[19:11]  ⁴ tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”

[19:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.

[30:4]  ⁶ sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.

[30:4]  ⁷ sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.