Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

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From: Revdpickrel AT wmconnect.com  Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 8:44 PM



 

In a message dated 10/18/2006 5:25:03 PM Central Daylight Time,
smille10 AT sbcglobal.net writes: 



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. 



Steve, I researched some more and found these verses, Gen.43:23, that says
Simeon was released to the brothers before Joseph sent them after Jacob;
Gen. 48:6, reads that Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted by Israel and all of
Joseph's children after them belongs to Joseph.  Looks like Joseph had at
least five more children to bring the total to 75. 



[Steve Miller] Doug,

1)   Simeon was released when his brothers came the 2nd time, and thus
probably went back with his bros to get his family and returned to Egypt
with Jacob. But since he had already been living in Egypt for a good part of
a year he could have been considered to have gone down to Egypt previously.
He probably learned the language, and may have become somewhat Egyptianized.

2)    Ephraim & Manasseh were adopted by Israel as his direct sons, but  I
don't consider Gen 48:6 as a prophecy that Joseph would have more children.
Jacob says that if Joseph did have more children, they would count as
Joseph's children, but Joseph didn't have any more. There is no record in
the whole Bible of Joseph having any more direct children, and his
descendants are listed. If he did have other children, to which tribe would
they belong? A 14th tribe, the tribe of Joseph?

3)   The 5 extra to bring the total to 75 should be descendants of Ephraim &
Manasseh. Five are mentioned in LXX Gen 46:20 and the same 5 are part of the
list of Joseph's descendants in 1 Chron 7:14-20.

4)   There are at least 2 DSS manuscripts that give the number 75 in Exo
1:5. 4QExodb & 4QGen-Exoda, and none that give the number 70.

-Steve