Topical Bible: Israel: Number of, Who Went Into Egypt

◄ Israel: Number of, Who Went Into Egypt ►

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The migration of the Israelites into Egypt is a significant event in biblical history, marking the beginning of a period of sojourning that would eventually lead to their enslavement and subsequent Exodus. This event is primarily recorded in the Book of Genesis, where the family of Jacob, also known as Israel, relocates to Egypt during a time of famine.

Biblical Account

The narrative begins with Joseph, one of Jacob's sons, who had been sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually rose to a position of power in Egypt as Pharaoh's vizier. During a severe famine, Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain, leading to a series of events that culminated in Joseph revealing his identity to them. Joseph then invited his father Jacob and the entire family to settle in Egypt to survive the famine.

Genesis 46:26-27 provides a specific count of those who made the journey: "All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons. And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all."

The Number Seventy

The number seventy is significant in the biblical text, symbolizing completeness and divine order. This count includes Jacob, his sons, and their families. The inclusion of Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were born in Egypt, brings the total to seventy. This enumeration is reiterated in Exodus 1:5 : "The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt."

Variations in Number

It is worth noting that there are variations in the number of those who went to Egypt when comparing different biblical texts. For instance, the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, lists seventy-five persons in Genesis 46:27, which is also referenced in Acts 7:14 where Stephen, in his speech, states: "Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all."

Significance of the Migration

The migration of Jacob's family to Egypt is a pivotal moment in the history of Israel. It sets the stage for the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own, where they would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years (Genesis 15:13). This event also marks the beginning of the transformation of the family of Jacob into a nation, as they would grow and multiply in Egypt.

Conclusion

The account of the Israelites' journey into Egypt is foundational to understanding the subsequent narrative of the Exodus and the formation of the Israelite identity. The number of those who went into Egypt, as recorded in the biblical text, underscores the providential care and divine plan that would unfold in the history of God's chosen people.

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Genesis 46:8-27
And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
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Exodus 1:5
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
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Deuteronomy 10:22
Your fathers went down into Egypt with three score and ten persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude.
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Acts 7:14
Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, three score and fifteen souls.
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Library

How it is Said that Jacob Went into Egypt with Seventy-Five Souls ...
... How It is Said that Jacob Went into Egypt with Seventy ... But the plural number is employed
according to scriptural ... are the names of the sons of Israel who entered ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 40 how it is said.htm

Concerning Jeroboam King of Israel and Jonah the Prophet; and How ...
... been thrown down by the king of Israel, when he ... valor, and of unconquerable strength,
in number two thousand. ... put on the holy garment, and went into the temple ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 10 concerning jeroboam king.htm

The Witness of Balaam to Israel
... thee. And he went to a bare height. And ... the nations. Who can count the dust
of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/ii the witness of balaam.htm

The Census of Israel
... When the conscript number shall be drawn we may escape this ... fear the Lord, yet the
God of Israel will not ... from the living God." In heart they went back into ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... When the children of Israel were in Egypt, the Egyptian ... Meanwhile the Holy Family
went quietly into the city ... of a wall, where there were a great number of empty ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

The Story of Moses, the Child who was Found in the River
... the people of Israel were growing in number, and becoming ... You have heard how the
children of Israel came to be ... had now become his enemy, Moses went away from ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of moses the.htm

Acts VII
... lost to us, that five of their wives went with them, saw fit to fill up the number
in their ... his heart to look after his brethren, the children of Israel. ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts vii.htm

Jesus is Born in Bethlehem
... suddenly there was seen with the angel a number of the ... mother, and go into the land
of Israel: for they ... the young Child and His mother, and went into the land ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/the good shepherd/chapter ii jesus is born.htm

Concerning the Canaanitish Woman. Meaning of the "Borders of Tyre ...
... Now, according to Mark, "Jesus rose up and went into the borders of Tyre ... the nations
He set up according to the number of the sons of Israel," [5494] and ...
/.../16 concerning the canaanitish woman.htm

The Exodus
... you what a wonderful exodus of the people of Israel this was ... And then, besides these,
there went out with them an ... The number must have been so large that it is ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the exodus.htm