Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
Now these are the names ... (see the note at Genesis 46:8-26.) This book is prefaced by an abridged recapitulation of the list of Jacob's family who immigrated with him into Egypt; and although this genealogy has already been considered, yet, as an elaborate attempt has been made, on the ground of its alleged inaccuracy, to demonstrate the unhistorical character of the Pentateuch, it may be expedient to examine it a little further.
The catalogue-in which a different order is followed from that in Genesis 46:1-34, the sons of Jacob's wives being first enumerated, then those of the handmaids in the order of their births-embraces the names of those only who were the recognized heads of houses at that period. But the words "which came into Egypt" must not be pressed too closely. They are to be taken in a wide and general sense, as including not only all who were living previous to the departure from Canaan, but some also who were not born until after the actual settlement in Goshen-as, in fact, extending throughout the whole duration of Jacob's life in Egypt; because the seventh years that the patriarch survived in Egypt must be regarded as a transition period-as forming a new epoch in the history of Israel, from which the commencement of their national existence is to be dated. "All the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls" - that is, all the sons and grandsons, excluding the sons' wives, made 66 (Genesis 46:26); and when to this there are added Jacob himself, Joseph, and his two sons, the amount is 70, as stated in this passage, in Genesis 46:27, and in Deuteronomy 10:22. Stephen (Acts 7:14) estimates the number at 75; but then he expressly takes into account 'all the kindred' of Jacob - i:e. not only the patriarch's own children, but also his son's wives, whom Moses had excluded from his enumeration.
In the remarks formerly made (Genesis 46:26-27), we adverted to the usual way of removing the apparent discrepancy between Moses and Stephen, by supposing that the later had regard to the insertion contained in the Septuagint version of this place of five names borrowed from the list in 1 Chronicles 7:1-40. But there is no neccesity for resorting either to the hypothesis that Stephen quoted from the Septuagint, or of adopting the ingenious conjecture of Beza, that he used not [pente] five, but [pantoos] seventy in all; because the statements in Genesis are sufficient to obviate all difficulties by what it says elsewhere of the wives. Rachel was dead (Genesis 35:19), so was Leah (Genesis 49:31); and no mention being made of Zilpah and Bilhah, the probability is that they were dead also. Judah had lost his wife (Genesis 38:12) and Simeon his, too, as may be inferred (Genesis 46:10; cf. Genesis 28:1).
It would appear, then, that among the eleven sons there were only nine wives, which came with Jacob into Egypt; so that if these nine be added to 66, the total is 75. Thus Stephen's expression, "all his (Jacob's) kindred," included the wives who were Joseph's kindred, not only by affinity, but by consanguinity, being probably of the families of Keturah, Ishmael and Esau. 'And thus,' says Dr. Hales ('Anal. of Chronol.' vol. 2:,
p. 1), 'does the New Testament furnish an admirable comment on the Old.' This list relates only to the direct descendants of Jacob, 'the children of his body begotten.' That there was, however, a vast number of others belonging to this pastoral tribe, who also removed along with him, is evident, from the distinction which Joseph made between his "brethren" and his "father's house" - i:e, servants (Genesis 46:31: cf. Genesis 30:43; Genesis 32:5; Genesis 32:7; Genesis 32:16; Genesis 36:7: see also the note at Genesis 34:25); and how numerous these were may be inferred from what Isaiah 32:5, Isaiah 32:7, Isaiah 32:16; Isaiah 36:7: see also the note at Genesis 34:25); and how numerous these were may be inferred from what is said of Abraham (Genesis 12:16; Genesis 14:14), and of Isaac (Genesis 26:13-16).