"Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people" (Acts 7:14)
What's five souls between friends? Was Stephen just forgetful? Genesis 46:27 records that, "All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy", so why does Stephen record an extra five?
The Hebrew text of Genesis has 70, however the later Greek text of the Septuagint has 75. Now, obviously the Hebrew is the original and the Septuagint dates from the 3rd century B.C. but our oldest Hebrew manuscript dates from the 10th century A.D. whilst that of the Septuagint dates from the 2nd century A.D., so the Septuagint may betray an older tradition and thus be the more accurate and what Stephen is quoting from. All this held true until we discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, which have an incomplete collection of manuscripts dating back further to the 1st century B.C., curiously, the Qumran texts support the Septuagint's reading of 75 people.
Apart from Genesis 46:27, the Hebrew texts of Exodus 1:5 and Deuteronomy 10:22 support the reading of "70"; it is the Dead Sea Scrolls partial manuscript, known as 4QExa (by its cave number), of the Exodus passage that has Hebrew evidence for "75". Furthermore, the 1st century Jewish historian JosephusF1 accepts "70" whilst his near contemporary PhiloF2 acknowledges both variations and attempts in vain to reconcile them allegorically.
The Septuagint texts give Joseph an extra seven sons and omit him and Joseph from the count. Meanwhile the text of the Hebrew includes just Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 41:50-52) for Joseph but counts Jacob as part of the "70". The Hebrew list of Jacob's "70" clearly omits Er and Onan who died in Canaan (Genesis 38:7,9; 46:12) making for 66 descendants who went down to Egypt if Dinah is added (Genesis 46:15). If Joseph and sons, and Jacob himself, are included then "70" make up the number migrating.
Referring to a text as early, if not earlier, than the Dead Sea Scroll mentioned above, we find authenticity for the "70" tradition. The Book of Jubilees is a Jewish intertestamental pseudepigraphal work, probably from the 1st century B.C., that is basically an interpretative and interpolated commentary on the book of Genesis. Very often Jubilees fills in the gaps in the written text from oral tradition, such as where did Cain and Abel get their wives from. In this case Jubilees 44:12-33 has "70" again even if enumerated with some variation, indicating that various texts and authors all try to pull strands together to make a symbolic seventy through additions and omissions much as Matthew does in his genealogy of three 14s making 42. There is possibly further symbolism in that the wives were double blessed having twice as many children as the concubines (Leah's 32 to Zilpah's 16 and Rachel's 14 to Bilhah's 7).
Finally, the 17th century commentator John Gill had an ingenious solution, which is best simply quoted:
"Stephen speaks of Jacob and all his kindred, among whom his sons' wives must be reckoned, whom Joseph called to him: according to Moses's account, the persons that came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, and so exclusive of his sons' wives, were threescore and six; to which if we add Jacob himself, and Joseph who was before in Egypt, and who might be truly said to come into it, and his two sons that were born there, who came thither in his loins, as others in the account may be said to do, who were not yet born, when Jacob went down, the total number is threescore and ten, Genesis 46:26,27 out of which take the six following persons, Jacob, who was called by Joseph into Egypt, besides the threescore and fifteen souls, and Joseph and his two sons then in Egypt, who could not be said to be called by him, and Hezron and Hamul, the sons of Pharez not yet born, and this will reduce Moses's number to sixty four; to which sixty four, if you add the eleven wives of Jacob's sons, who were certainly part of the kindred called and invited into Egypt, Genesis 45:10,19 45:5 it will make up completely threescore and fifteen persons: or the persons called by Joseph maybe reckoned thus; his eleven brethren and sister Dinah, fifty two brother's children, to which add his brethren's eleven wives, and the amount is threescore and fifteen: so that the Jew has no reason to charge Stephen with an error, as he does; nor was there any need to alter and corrupt the Septuagint version of Genesis 45:27 to make it agree with Stephen's account; or to add five names in it, in Acts 7:20 as Machir, Galaad, Sutalaam, Taam, and Edom, to make up the number seventy five: and it may be observed, that the number is not altered in the version of Deuteronomy 10:22 which agrees with the Hebrew for seventy persons."
Make up your own minds on whose counting is best and serves what purpose, but it certainly appears that there is no need to doubt the original Hebrew "70" of Genesis and Exodus.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: Josephus, Antiquities, 2.176; 6.89
F2: Philo, On the Migration of Abraham, 199-200; as Jacob becomes Israel he becomes aware and the five senses are added to the seventy making seventy-five!
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