Genesis 47:1
Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
Joseph came to Pharaoh with word that his father and his brothers, together with their flocks and their herds and all that they had, had come out of the land of Canaan and were now in the land of Goshen. They entered Goshen as a distinct people, keeping their separate identity even while receiving a home in Egypt. For their future settlement he took five of his brothers to present before Pharaoh, that they might receive a grant of land for their home.
Before that meeting he charged them to answer openly when questioned that their occupation was that of shepherds, and that it had been so through generations. Shepherding was regarded by the Egyptians as degrading, and by this frank avowal Pharaoh would be led not to place them in the special service of the court, where they would have been exposed to tempting and corrupting idolatrous influences. It would also keep Pharaoh from seeking to exalt them to positions of honor for Joseph's sake. Upon this report Pharaoh gave Joseph authority to settle his father and his brothers in Goshen, in the best part of Egypt, the best of the land.
Goshen was chosen because it was a well-watered and fertile country, affording good pasture and abundant provision for flocks. There also they could worship God without disturbance from the ceremonies and services of Egyptian idolatry. They and their descendants inhabited the country round about Goshen until God brought them out of Egypt with power and with mighty signs and wonders.