“And Israel came to Egypt

And Jacob dwelt as an alien in the land of Ham.”

(Psalm 105:23)

Once again we see an illustration of the interconnectedness of the Bible. We know from the account in Genesis that Israel was given the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:1,6). Why refer to this land as the land of Ham? Ham, of course, was the son of Noah who defiled his father (Genesis 9:22). In turn, the line of Ham would historically produce those who were and are the enemies of God. His sons were Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6). Their tribal lands would take on the names of their forebears and now we have the connection. Egypt (and its lands) descended from Ham and the Psalmist is giving us a reminder of whose land in which Israel is dwelling for a time.

Another note should be made here. When this verse speaks of Jacob dwelling in Egypt, the term גור (gor) is used, which typically means to dwell as an alien, a dependent, or as one who does not have ownership in the territory in question. If the text were to indicate that Jacob was dwelling in his own land, then the term ישׁב (yashab) would have been used. Why is this distinction important? There are two reasons. The first is that God gave Canaan to Abraham as an inheritance, not Egypt. Thus, it was a place to stay, but it was not their home. The second reason is more of a reminder of that principle to us. Our home, as Christians, is also not on this earth. We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Thus, we should not become too comfortable here.