And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

EXODUS 1:5KJV
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Exodus 1:5 (KJV)

What does Exodus 1:5 mean?

Exodus 1:5 states that the total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who came to Egypt was seventy, not counting Joseph, who was already living there. This verse highlights the small size of Jacob’s family at the time they settled in Egypt.

The verse is part of the introduction to the story of Israel’s time in Egypt. It summarizes the family of Jacob (also called Israel) as they move to Egypt during a famine, following Joseph’s rise to power there. The number seventy is often seen as a symbol of completeness in the Hebrew Bible, and mentioning Joseph separately emphasizes his unique position and earlier arrival.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 1:5

  • The word for “souls” is נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), which often means “person” or “life.” Here, it simply counts the individuals in Jacob’s family, not implying anything mystical.
  • The word for “loins” is יָרֵךְ (yarek), which literally means the upper thigh or hip area, but is often used as a way to refer to descendants or offspring.
  • The number “seventy” is שִׁבְעִים (shiv‘im), which in the Hebrew Bible can symbolize fullness or a complete group, underscoring that all of Jacob’s family is included in this count.

Why Exodus 1:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the nation of Israel began as a small family group, which sets up the dramatic growth described in the following verses.
  • By mentioning Joseph’s prior presence in Egypt, the verse connects the family’s migration to the earlier story of Joseph and explains why they had a place to go during the famine.
  • The specific number “seventy” ties back to earlier genealogies in Genesis and helps the reader track the continuity of the family line.

Where else these words appear

“loins” Hebrew H3409 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
  • Exodus 37:17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:
  • Judges 3:16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

“seventy” Hebrew H7657 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
  • Numbers 7:79 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • 2 Chronicles 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.