Genesis 46:8-15 · Bible study
Genesis 46:8-15 Commentary: The Family of Israel
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the genealogy of Jacob’s family entering Egypt: the meaning of the 70 souls, the debate with Acts 7:14, and what this list reveals about God’s promises.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A genealogical list of Jacob’s family entering Egypt, totaling seventy souls, affirming God’s promise to multiply Abraham’s seed from a small beginning.
- Key words: “children of Israel” (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל), “names” (שְׁמוֹת), “came into Egypt” (הַבָּאִים מִצְרַיְמָה), “firstborn” (בְּכוֹר), “souls” (נֶפֶשׁ).
- Main debate: The number seventy in the Hebrew text versus seventy-five in Acts 7:14 (following the Septuagint, which adds five descendants of Joseph).
- Theological theme: God’s faithfulness to His covenant, He knows His people by name and works through imperfect families to accomplish His purposes.
- Best use: A reminder that every person matters to God; the church is built from ordinary names and stories, and small beginnings lead to great fulfillments.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
8Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
13The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
14The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
WEB World English Bible 2000
8These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.
14The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.
KJV King James Version 1769
8And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
11And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
13And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
14And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
15These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan–aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
8And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born.
9And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
11And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.
14And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
15These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
8And these are the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt: Jacob and his sons, Jacob's first-born, Reuben.
9And sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10And sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul son of the Canaanitess.
11And sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12And sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah, (and Er and Onan die in the land of Canaan.) And sons of Pharez are Hezron and Hamul.
13And sons of Issachar: Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
14And sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
15These are sons of Leah whom she bare to Jacob in Padan-Aram, and Dinah his daughter; all the persons of his sons and his daughters are thirty and three.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
8And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons. Jacob's firstborn, Reuben.
9And the sons of Reuben: Enoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10— And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
11— And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12— And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pherez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pherez were Hezron and Hamul.
13— And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, and Job, and Shimron.
14— And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
15— These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan-Aram; and his daughter, Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
8And these are the names of the children of Israel, that entered into Egypt, he and his children. His firstborn Ruben,
9The sons of Ruben: Henoch and Phallu, and Hesron and Charmi.
10The sons of Simeon: Jamuel and Jamin and Ahod, and Jachin and Sohar, and Saul, the son of a woman of Chanaan.
11The sons of Levi: Gerson and Caath, and Merari.
12The sons of Juda: Her and Onan, and Sela, and Phares and Zara. And Her and Onan died in the land of Chanaan. And sons were born to Phares: Hesron and Hamul.
13The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron.
14The sons of Zabulon: Sared, and Elon, and Jahelel.
15These are the sons of Lia, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dina, his daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters, thirty-three.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 46:8
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this genealogical list records the names of Jacob’s descendants who moved to Egypt, structured by the four mothers (Leah, Zilpah, Rachel, Bilhah). The total of seventy souls, including Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt, is affirmed by the Hebrew text (Exodus 1:5; Deuteronomy 10:22). Keil and Delitzsch provide the precise breakdown: thirty-three from Leah, sixteen from Zilpah, fourteen from Rachel, and seven from Bilhah, summing to seventy. Clarke notes the list likely anticipates births that occurred during Jacob’s seventeen years in Egypt (prolepsis), especially Hezron and Hamul, sons of Perez. The well-known discrepancy with Stephen’s seventy-five in Acts 7:14 is traced to the Septuagint (LXX), which adds five descendants from Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14-20). Calvin judged this an ancient scribal error, while others see the LXX as a legitimate variant tradition. All concur that the number seventy symbolizes completeness and echoes the seventy nations of Genesis 10, a sign that this small family would become a great nation. The Lord counts each person. Every name matters to Him.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Traditional chronological census: The list reflects those who literally accompanied Jacob into Egypt, with no prolepsis; the seventy count is straightforward.
- Proleptic inclusion (Clarke): Some names (e.g., Hezron and Hamul) were born during Jacob’s seventeen years in Egypt, so the list anticipates later births.
- Septuagintal expansion (LXX/Acts): The number seventy-five in Acts 7:14 draws on the LXX, which added five descendants of Joseph to harmonize with later genealogies in Chronicles.
What is clear: The intended meaning of the Hebrew text is that the founding family of Israel consisted of seventy persons, a number of completeness that underscores God’s faithfulness to multiply a small clan into a great nation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Number of souls entering Egypt | The Hebrew text (MT) counts seventy souls, including Jacob and Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt. | Some Christians, following Acts 7:14 and the Septuagint, see seventy-five souls. Calvin attributed the difference to scribal error; others view the LXX as a legitimate expansion that includes additional descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh. |
| Chronology: prolepsis or strict census | The list records the family as it stood when Jacob moved to Egypt, but some names (like Hezron and Hamul) may have been born during Jacob’s seventeen years there. | Clarke holds that certain names are introduced by prolepsis (anticipation); Keil and Delitzsch treat them as part of the original seventy. The debate affects how we understand the historical moment being described. |
| Inclusion of Dinah | Dinah is listed as Jacob’s daughter, indicating she remained part of the household and was not yet married. | Cambridge Bible suggests her mention may be an interpolation; others (Keil, Gill) see it as intentional to show the full family unit, including unmarried daughters. |
| Shaul, son of a Canaanite woman | This note records that Simeon had a son by a Canaanite wife, a specific and unflattering detail. | Some commentators view this as a neutral record; others see it as hinting at the dangers of assimilation with Canaanite culture, which later became a major concern in Israelite law. |
| The genealogical form: biological or legal/tribal | The list serves as a tribal register for the nation of Israel; it establishes who belongs to each tribe. | Ellicott emphasizes that grandsons are represented as sons to secure their legal claim to land, making the list a “title deed.” Others read it as strictly biological. Both views recognize the list’s authoritative role in Israel’s identity. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, genealogies were more than family trees. They functioned as legal documents establishing land rights, tribal identity, and inheritance. Ellicott observes that this list is drawn up “in a legal manner,” representing grandsons as sons so that every head of a family is technically “born in Canaan” and thus qualified to inherit the promised land. The genealogy is arranged by mothers, Leah, Zilpah, Rachel, Bilhah, reflecting their status and explaining the future tribal divisions.
Jacob’s move to Egypt fulfills God’s earlier promise to Abraham that his offspring would sojourn in a foreign land before becoming a great nation (Genesis 15:13-14). The opening phrase “children of Israel” (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל) already uses Jacob’s God-given name, pointing to the covenantal identity of the people. Several details anchor the list in real history: the notation that Er and Onan died in Canaan (a truthful admission of loss), the unusual mention of Shaul “the son of a Canaanite woman” (showing intermarriage had already occurred), and the inclusion of Dinah, a daughter who remained unmarried and thus was part of the household.
The number seventy carries deep resonance. Just as Genesis 10 lists seventy nations descended from Noah, Israel as seventy souls becomes a microcosm of humanity, chosen to bless all families of the earth. The list also anticipates the census in Numbers 1 and 26, where the tribes have multiplied beyond counting. The land of Egypt, though a place of future oppression, is initially a shelter, a womb where the family grows into a people. God’s hand is visible in the careful census: He knows His own by name, and He never loses count.
Textual Notes
The primary textual variant concerning Genesis 46:8-15 involves the total number of souls. The Masoretic Text reads seventy, but the Septuagint (LXX) gives seventy-five. The LXX adds five names not in the Hebrew: three grandsons (Machir, Galaad, Sutalaam, Taam, and Edom) from Joseph’s line (see 1 Chronicles 7:14-20). This reading is followed by Stephen in Acts 7:14. Calvin argued for a scribal error in the Greek manuscripts, while Keil and Delitzsch note the LXX interpolation. The Hebrew manuscripts are stable across traditions. No other significant variants appear in the genealogical names themselves for this unit.
Reception History
This genealogy was used by early Jewish readers to establish the purity of the tribes and to confirm the number seventy. In the New Testament, Stephen quotes the Septuagint’s seventy-five when recounting Israel’s history (Acts 7:14). Church fathers like Augustine and Jerome discussed the numerical discrepancy, with Augustine proposing that Stephen included descendants born after the entry into Egypt. The list has been incorporated into Christian liturgical readings of the Patriarchs, especially during Lent when the journey to Egypt is recalled. John Calvin and later reformers used the passage to argue for the inspiration and careful preservation of the Hebrew text. The number seventy itself became a symbol for the Sanhedrin in Judaism and for the mission to the nations in Christian thought (evoking the seventy disciples in Luke 10:1). Throughout church history, believers found comfort that God numbers His people individually, a theme echoed in hymns and pastoral prayers.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God remembers every name. This genealogy is not dry record-keeping; it is a personal roll call. The Lord knows Hanoch, Pallu, and each individual. Your name matters to God.
- God works through flawed families. The list includes Er and Onan, who died because of their sin (Genesis 38). It mentions Shaul, son of a Canaanite mother. Sorrow and imperfection do not disqualify a family from being used by God.
- God keeps His promises. From seventy souls in Egypt to a nation too numerous to count, the trajectory shows God’s faithfulness to Abraham’s covenant. Small beginnings are not small to God.
Five-point outline
- The structure of the family, organized by mothers, showing God’s order and care for each line.
- The inclusion of the dead and the living, Er and Onan are mentioned but not counted; Hezron and Hamul are added by anticipation.
- The careful counting, seventy souls, a number of completion and divine blessing.
- The foreshadowing of tribes, Levi will become the priestly tribe; Judah will produce the Messiah.
- The journey to Egypt, part of God’s redemptive plan, not a detour.
Illustration hooks
- A family photo album or scrapbook, each name carries a story, and God keeps the album.
- A legal census or title deed, this list functions as Israel’s claim to the land and their identity as God’s people.
- A small sapling that becomes a forest, seventy individuals multiply into millions, just as God promised.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Bible include so many names I can’t pronounce? What’s the point?
- How can I trust the Bible when the numbers don’t match (Genesis 70 vs Acts 75)?
- Does my own messy family history disqualify me from being used by God?
Leading a Discussion
Genealogies can feel like the dullest pages of the Bible, yet they carry profound truth. This list of Israel’s family entering Egypt is a witness to God’s promise-keeping and personal care. As you read through these names, consider that each represents a real person in God’s story, and so do you.
Discussion questions
- What first strikes you about this list? Does it seem like a simple record or something more?
- Why do you think the author organizes the names by mothers? What does this tell us about the family’s structure and women’s roles?
- Why does the text mention Er and Onan’s death in Canaan? And why include Shaul’s Canaanite mother? What do these details say about the honesty of Scripture?
- The total number is seventy. How does that connect to the seventy nations in Genesis 10? What does it suggest about God’s plan for Israel?
- How do you understand the difference between the seventy here and the seventy-five in Acts 7:14? Does this difficulty affect your trust in Scripture?
- This genealogy includes both the faithful (Levi, Judah) and those with troubled stories (Reuben, Simeon). How does this encourage you about your own family or church?
- God promises to make Abraham’s descendants a great nation. How does this list show the first step of that promise being fulfilled? What small “seeds” might God be planting in your life today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 29:1 | Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. |
| Genesis 29:30 | He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him seven more years. |
| Genesis 29:32 | Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” |
| Genesis 35:22 | While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. |
| Genesis 35:23 | The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. |
| Genesis 49:1 | Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come. |
| Genesis 49:33 | When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people. |
| Exodus 1:1 | Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that several names in this family list, like Hezron and Hamul, must have been born during Jacob's seventeen-year stay in Egypt rather than before the migration. He argues the list uses anticipation, covering the full period Jacob sojourned there, not just the moment of entry.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin attributes the seventy-versus-seventy-five discrepancy to a scribal copying error, not a deeper theological meaning. He dismisses Augustine's attempt to harmonize the numbers by assuming Stephen included descendants born later, arguing this contradicts the passage's clear purpose of showing how few went into Egypt. The error likely entered when a single numeral mark was misread, later compounded by copyists unfamiliar with the Hebrew text.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible notes that these genealogies were drawn up on artificial lines, not meant as literal history. The statement that all were born in Paddan-aram is a convention, and the number thirty-three was achieved by initially counting Er and Onan, then later adding Dinah and Jacob to harmonize the total.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva editors highlight that this genealogy specifically lists Leah’s offspring to show how Jacob’s family grew through her. They note that the total count of thirty-three souls includes both sons and daughters, emphasizing the completeness of the lineage recorded in Padan Aram.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill carefully works through the genealogical list to account for the total of thirty-three souls. He concludes that Jacob himself must be counted to reach that number, since excluding Er and Onan who died in Canaan leaves only thirty-two among the others.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the sixty-six direct descendants who went to Egypt, plus Joseph, his two sons, and Jacob himself, total seventy. The higher number in Stephen's speech includes five grandsons born later in Egypt, so both accounts are consistent when the basis of counting is recognized.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argue that the list of 70 souls does not give only those already born when Jacob entered Egypt. It includes grandsons and great-grandsons born later, because the list aims to record every person who would become the founder of a family in Israel, looking ahead to the nation's later tribal structure.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange views the detailed genealogy as a theological anchor, showing that Jacob’s family arrived in Egypt not as refugees but as a structured nation with distinct tribal identities. He highlights how names like Judah and Levi foreshadow future roles, turning a simple list into a record of God’s sovereign plan unfolding through specific lineages.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights how this genealogy confirms God’s promise to multiply Abraham’s descendants, even as the family prepares for a new chapter in Egypt. He notes that listing every name underscores the reality of their growth and the tangible fulfillment of divine blessing. The record serves as proof that the covenant people are numerous and established, ready to endure the coming years under God’s providential care.