Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

> From: Shoshanna Walker Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 5:08 PM
> 
> The total consisted of the following:  All the persons who set out
> on the journey from Canaan to Egypt numbered 66 - Leah's  32 listed
> descendents, Zilpah's 16, Rachel's 11, and Bilhah's 7.  Joseph and
> his two sons were waiting for them in Egypt, and Yocheved was born on
> the way - total 70.
 
[Steve Miller] There is no Biblical support for this story that Moses'
mother was born on the way to Egypt and counted among the 70, yet not named.
This story contradicts Numbers 26:59 which says that Yocheved was born in
Egypt. To me, this adorning of Moses' mother with extra-Biblical statuses
and accomplishments is similar to what certain Christian sects do to Jesus'
mother.
> 
> Other views include Jacob counted in the group as implied by the
> expression "Jacob and his children"
> Rashi explains:  It is common for the Torah to round off a number
> when just one unit is lacking.

[Steve Miller] Jacob should be counted in the 70, but I cannot see any
sensible reason why he would be excluded from the 66. The number 70 here
cannot be a rounded number because it is expressed as the sum of 33 + 16 +
14 + 7.
-Steve Miller
Detroit
> 
> 
> >
> 
> [Steve Miller] thanks for pointing this out.
> 
> There are 2 totals in Gen 46:
> 
> In Gen 46:26, both MT & LXX give 66 as the number that came into Egypt
> with
> Jacob, that came out of Jacob's loins.
> 
> In v 27 MT gives 70 and LXX 75 for the all the souls of the house of Jacob
> that came into Egypt. This number includes those who came to Egypt before
> Jacob came.
> 
> The MT does not say who the missing 4 were in the 66 total, but I figure
> they are Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, because they were already
> in
> Egypt before Jacob came.
> 
> The 75 figure in the LXX includes the 70 from the MT plus 5 additional
> descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim (46:20 LXX, and ignoring the 1st part
> of
> 46:27 LXX, which I think must be an error.)
> 
> In Exo 1:5, these are all the souls that came out of Jacob's loins, not
> just
> those who came down to Egypt with Jacob. So the number agrees with Gen
> 46:27, not 46:26. i.e 70 for MT, 75 for LXX.
> 
> In Deut 10:22, the number is how many the Children of Israel started with
> before the Lord multiplied them in Egypt. This number would not include
> the
> 5 descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, because they are part of the Lord's
> multiplying Israel in Egypt. It would include Ephraim and Manasseh
> themselves, because they were counted as Jacob's direct children and as 2
> of
> the 13 tribes. Thus the number, from the LXX, DSS and Acts point of view,
> is
> 75 - 5 descendants of Ephraim & Manasseh = 70. Or from both the MT & LXX
> point of view = 66 + 4 = 70.
> 
> The MT, in general, is far more accurate than the LXX, but I believe that
> the 75 number in LXX is the correct one because it matches the NT and the
> DSS.
> -Steve Miller
> Detroit
> www.voiceinwilderness.info
>