Zoan was an ancient city near the mouth of the Tanis branch of the Nile. The city was also called Tanis, and during the twenty-first and twenty-third dynasties, it was the capital and the seat of pharaohs. Zoan is mentioned briefly in Numbers 13:22, where we are told that the city was built seven years after Hebron. Israelites who sought alliances with Egypt would probably have visited this city for negotiations.
11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?